Chronicles of Zootopia
by Anheledir
Summary: Starting near the end of the movie this series introduces us to the relationship Nick and Judy are starting to begin. After having a rough start it stabilized eventually in a timespan of over a year, but new problems are already waiting: personally and professionally. There will be old antagonists again as well as new ones - will our beloved couple master these new challenges, too?
1. 1x01 - Prologue

_**This chapter is also available as an audio drama on YouTube!**_

 _ **youtu. be/bB-1V5Q3_xo?list=PLIVs1D93vz38riF4nqo5uTmGpoU1yWeko**_

* * *

It was a bureaucratic nightmare to deal with: You cannot hand in one's notice and come back to work a few months later as if nothing happened. Nevertheless, Judy Hopps would not be Judy if she ate humble pie and eventually Chief Bogo was glad that he got a competent officer back on duty. Getting Nick Wilde's shady background out of the way so that he could attend the Police Academy was another headache for the Chief. However, even if he wouldn't admit it openly, Bogo was quite pleased and even a little impressed by Judy and Nick's success and the night howler case was finally solved.

In the first month after her reinstatement Judy had to give more than a few interviews to reporters and even had to hold some public speeches, much to her dislike; but Bogo had made it plain to her, that she had to go along with it to please the new governing mayor – a Rhino named Scalemayer. In the meantime, Nick had a hard time at the Academy. He was a predator and granted he was a little bigger than Judy, but the physical training was hard and incomparable to anything he had to achieve while living his comfortable life as a Conmammal. No matter how hard the day was though, he always found time to have a phone call with Judy in the evening.

It started with a few texts here and there, ' _Hey carrots, how was your day?_ ', ' _I should never have doubted you regarding how hard the academy is_ ', accompanied with pictures of some injuries Nick had sustained or ' _I hate this attention, I'm a real cop not a token bunny!_ ' when another day with interviews had passed for Judy. It didn't take long and in lieu of texts they had some muzzle time and after a few months it was a fixed routine: They texted each other in the morning and in the evening they had a video call for at least an hour during which Judy often helped Nick with learning some of the theory. Of course, this was not unnoticed by Nick's comrades at his bedder, but Nick's sly grin never faded and he was never tired of telling them that she was only helping him to learn.

Judy on the other hand found herself a new small apartment; her old one wasn't free anymore when she returned to Zootopia. It was as small as her old one, but at least Bucky and Pronk weren't a problem anymore, so she could have her muzzle time in the evening with Nick without interruptions through a paper-thin wall. Of course, she was going out from time to time in her spare time, mostly with a few colleagues like McHorn, Fangmeyer or Clawhauser. Dealing with the press was dreadful but at least the case gained her a lot of reputation within the precinct and finally quite some friends. She even took the time to visit her goddaughter 'Judy' at Mr. Big's house, Fru Fru always happily welcoming her. Nick took a screenshot of her while on muzzle time when Judy had little Judy in her paw and this very special smile on her face while fondling with the little mouse-kit.

It is hard to tell when their relationship as friends turned into something more, some intimacy had crept into their calls and texts gradually and Judy as well as Nick felt somewhat uncomfortable when a regular call went off due to Judy working overtime or Nick dozing off over his books. However, neither of them was willing to say something about it, resulting in a few awkwardly silent moments on the phone.

Finally, Nick got his degree at the Academy after ten months of hard work. Though, it was worth all the blood, sweat and tears it cost him when he saw Judy smiling proudly at him while clipping his police badge to his uniform at the ceremony. It was a big surprise to him that she was the one delivering the graduating speech, she had never told him during their calls. Moreover, another surprise was waiting when she disclosed to him that they would start being partners on the force the next day.

* * *

 ** _About a week later, after the Gazelle concert, in the Hollow-Bar_**

"…Thank you all sooooo much!" exclaimed Clawhauser enthusiastically, nearly tearing up. Every colleague of the precinct had pooled money to buy VIP tickets as Clawhauser's birthday present, including a backstage tour and a get-together with Zootopia's Pop-Star. Now most of them met at the Hollow Bar and Clawhauser thanked everybody in person with a bone-crushing hug repeatedly. As every Friday and Saturday, a live cover band was playing on stage; quite a lot of people were attending the bar at this late hour, half of them colleagues of Clawhauser. Judy and Nick had tickets for the concert, too, so had Bogo. However, Clawhauser was the only one with the VIP tour and currently he was telling everyone again about every bit of it.

"I bet he will never wash his face again where Gazelle kissed him on the cheek", Fangmeyer winked and raised his glass to take another sip. McHorn and Judy agreed laughing and even Bogo seemed to grin at the thought of it.

"As long as he will remove the lipstick, it's not quite suitable with his fur color…" he hummed and took a big swallow of his beer.

"Thank you, cute little bunny!" it was Judy's turn again to be thanked while Clawhauser raised her from her feet and hugged her from behind. She protested grumbling – ' _Don't call me cute!_ ' – and kicking was totally ignored and all close colleagues laughed at the strange sight of her struggling in the cheetah's arms. When he finally let her and go she gave him a sweeping glance, he did one-step in Bogo's direction. The buffalo straighten up with a death stare but Clawhauser was already too drunk and tried to hug him, too, resulting in even louder laughter and backslapping.

In the background, the band started a new song, a guitar starting with a slow solo. Judy drained her second drink this evening and was feeling a little bit dizzy. But then again she was having a great time and she enjoyed having some time together with Nick, too. Speaking of… she looked around the bar. There were less people at this late hour now but she could see no sign of him. She approached Clawhauser who immediately returned to her.

"Heyyyy cutie! (totally ignoring her complaining look) Everything all right?"

"Yeah, I hope everything's alright with you too! Did you see Nick? You should have a better overview than m…." she stopped in the middle of the sentence when the oh-so-familiar-voice of the fox started to sing right on stage beside the Jaguar playing the guitar. ( _YouTube "cncoJB_C-m0"_ )

" _The world was on fire and no-one could save me but you. It's strange what desire will make foolish people do. I'd never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you. And I'd never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you_ ".

Judy's ears went straight up and turned toward the small stage, her nose twitching mildly. The Jaguar that played the guitar was right in the middle, playing. On a bar stool Nick sat, a microphone in his paws and a spot aimed at him. His voice was soft but the words were accented spot-on to accompany the guitar sounds, looking to the floor.

" _What a wicked game to play, to make me feel this way. What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you. What a wicked thing to say, you never felt that way. What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you_ ".

Judy was thrilled, her hackles rose, and she slowly struggled through the crowd of people to get nearer to the stage. Her eyes were big and her arms were embracing herself, keeping her head a bit askew, slowly swaying to the music. She didn't even know that Nick was such a great singer and she felt this slightly uncomfortable but warm feeling around her chest again. It was irritating to her but she pushed it away to listen attentively.

After the guitar solo, Nick stood up from the bar stool, turned his head slightly to the side and looked directly in her direction. Judy felt her knees getting soft when he began with the last verse of the song, this time slowly approaching her, never taking his eyes from her.

"I'd never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you.  
And I'd never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you.  
No, I don't wanna fall in love… with you."

He was standing at arm's length, finishing the song: "Nobody loves no one." – the spot went off, befogging the Jaguar and Nick and people starting to applause. Judy could not clap her hands, her mouth was slight open and felt dry like she had not drank for days, slowly blinking. Her heart was nearly palpitating and she was sure her greyish fur was red to the top of her ears. It took a few moments before she realized Nick was standing beside her.

"Hey fluff, sorry I had withdrawn but I promised Francine to sing a song together with the band. Hope it wasn't too bad, was it?" His sly grin was all set albeit somewhat softer than usual.

"Not too bad? Cheese and crackers, you're a wonderful singer Nick! Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I don't really sing that often anymore. My mom wanted me to learn an instrument and so I learned to play the guitar as a young fox, and before I became the great Conmammal that I was, I played and sang in the streets for a few bucks… nothing wild here. But I'm glad you liked it, Judy…" While speaking the band had started with their next song and like it is the normal thing to do, Nick grabbed Judy's paws and they very slowly danced together. ( _YouTube "QJzGtzGydtQ"_ )

It was not until the first refrain when Nick mentioned her real name instead of a nickname that Judy realized that they were actually dancing, her feet on autopilot. Nick immediately realized her slightly different voice.

"I ... loved it, you… really have a … sonorous voice…" – he smiled softly, his paws holding hers and dancing along to the music. "Sly Fox…"

"Dancer Bunny..." he spun her around and picked her up again with his paws, this time with even more physical contact.

Judy felt how her face and ears must have turned into carrot orange at least, but leaned her head onto Nicks chest enjoying their dance. They weren't really dancing; just stepping from one side to the other while snuggling against each other. All other Mammals vanished from their mind; it was as if they were the only two mammals there with the music coming out of nowhere.

The Jaguar finished a great guitar solo and the small otter front-singer started again:

" _Go cry about it, why don't you? My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room. Don't you think we oughta know by now? Don't you think we should have learned somehow?_ "

As the light on stage went off with the last beats, there was loud applause again; obeyed from glee whistles and some distant calls. She felt hot and her heart was beating fiercely. Her eyes closed, and her lips pressed against Nicks, deeply kissing him. It was only after a minute or two, that they slowly opened their eyes again and discerned their environment. Nearly everyone left in the Bar was looking and cheering at them. She could not decide if she felt more heat in her head from embarrassment or because she just kissed Nick for the first time. Nick was the first one to comprise the situation and put his sly grin back on. However, this time it seemed much warmer and softer to Judy. He nudged her twitching nose with his and whispered quietly:

"Everything ok, Judy…?"

She couldn't say anything at that moment, but her big eyes and the slightly coy but happy smile on her face was everything he needed for an answer now. Judy placed her arms around his hip and cuddled her still hot-feeling head onto his side.

* * *

 _ **Many thanks to Sean Dalglish for his review and proofreading this chapter! (Jan 2017)**_


	2. 1x02 - Set-Up

**This chapter is also available as an audio drama on YouTube!**

 **youtu. be/esCUO3RhqVo?list=PLIVs1D93vz38riF4nqo5uTmGpoU1yWeko**

There is a phrase that time flies when you are having fun; based on the fact that Nick and Judy sat on a park bench, after the Hollow Bar closed at two in the morning, and were still sitting there, arm in arm when the sun rose again shortly after six o'clock, they really had a great time. Judy had cuddled up to Nick and his thick tail was enwrapping her when she got a little bit cold. Her ears leaned against her head.

"Since when?" Judy asked him casually, tickling her paws along his cheek.

"Hmm?" Nick hummed moony and Judy twitched lightly on his whiskers.

"Dumb fox.", she replied but he smirked somewhat. "Since when?" she asked again after a while. Her voice was quiet and gentle.

Still dreamily, Nick answered slowly: "You know, I started to like you while we were still on the Nighthowler case." He turned his head slowly in her direction and their looks met. "But I knew I met someone special after I couldn't get you out of my head while I was at the academy. That's never happened before…"

Judy got teary-eyed and gave him a big, happy smile. "And still you didn't say a word until tonight?"

"To be accurate, I didn't tell you anything but just sang a song. About not wanting to fall in love with … someone." Nicks sly grin was back in place and he winked. "I just wanted to dance with the most beautiful lady in the bar and you decided to ki…OUCH!"

Judy beat him with her fist on the shoulder and wrinkled her nose. "Dumb fox!" Nick caressed one paw over her cheek and reached behind her head, his thumb stroking the point where her ear approached her head.

"Beautiful Bunny…" he whispered and leaned in to kiss her affectionately. Judy closed her eyes and responded to his kiss. "You know; you love me…"

"Do I know that? Yes. Yes, I do." She winked back to him. "But I also know that we're starting work in less than two hours." Judy groaned out suddenly. Almost grudging she detached herself from Nick and outstretched with a sudden realization of how tired she was.

Nick stretched himself; sitting on a wooden bench all night wasn't very comfortable after a while, and now that Judy wasn't leaning against him he felt the chill morning breeze. "Giving Bogo a notice of being ill is beyond question, right?" he sighed.

Judy squinted her eyes: "They all saw us last night together, nobody would believe this, Bogo less than ever!"

"All right, Officer Fluff… I know the perfect place to get a strong espresso and some breakfast." Nick said.

"Okay, and when we get to the precinct early we can take a hot shower", Judy clasped her mouth with both paws after she realized what her suggestion sounded like and Nick was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I … I mean … we… you...", Judy swore her ears must be orange like carrots right now.

"I know exactly what you mean, carrots." Nick winked at her and they both started to walk, heading to one of the small French Cafés near the precinct.

* * *

Judy's paws rested against the tiled wall of the shower, her head and ears dropped down and the hot and steamy water poured over them and her back. She felt tired; since visiting the academy, she had not had an all-nighter. But she also felt some butterflies in her stomach. Last night with Nick came as a surprise to a certain degree. Dating was never one of her top priorities, she always had her high-goal set with the Police Academy and there was little to no room for romantic relationships, and even after reaching her goal she didn't miss it, because she always had Nick since then. He was her shoulder to cry on and the most common cause for her laugher. No, she did not miss being in a relationship because she already had one; even when it was not official or pronounced like that. Those things, plus the euphoric mood after the concert, plus Nick singing one of her favorite songs, plus slow dancing together. All of this lead to her kissing Nick right there on the dancefloor suddenly. It was not planned by her; it just felt like the right thing to do at that moment. And Nick returned her affection! She felt this tingly sensation in every part of her body while they kissed. Was this love?

* * *

Punctual as always Judy and Nick sat on their shared stool in the conference room. There was a lot of chitchat between all the colleagues. It was only when Chief Bogo entered the room that everyone went quiet. He seemed to be slightly hangover, or was that only Nicks imagination? Bogo snarled some quick notes about the upcoming day – nothing remarkable – and scheduled each pair of partner's todays district to patrol. ' _Yep, totally hangover._ ' Nick thought and a small grin crept onto his face. He and Judy just headed in direction of the door, when…

"Hopps! Wilde!" – the Chief didn't shout as loud as usual but it still had its daunting effect. "My office in five minutes." He snarled and headed through the backdoor.

There was just enough time for them to get a cup of poor, but hot, coffee from the vending machine in the foyer before they entered the Chief's office after knocking. Bogo sat in his chair, with his reading glasses on and with a case file in his hooves. Judy and Nick stood bolt upright in front of the desk and waited patiently.

After a minute or two, the buffalo put down the case file and his glasses: "There is something I have to discuss with you about yesterday evening." Nick felt somewhat nervous and he noticed from the corner of his eyes Judy twitching her nose slightly. Everything that happened yesterday between him and Judy came to him suddenly. He did not really think this through and considering what could happen afterwards they should not have kissed in front of all of those colleagues. After all, he was not sure if there was a rule against fraternization in the precinct or not. Moreover, he doubted that Judy would risk any disciplinary measures just for them to be together.

"Sir?" Nick asked, not recognizing his own voice.

Bogo did not seem to be all too happy to have this conversation in the first place either. He folded his hooves and his voice got somewhat … embarrassed? … when he started to talk again.

"I got a call from the Hollow Bar, nearly a dozen customers reported that their wallet or smartphones were stolen yesterday night." – What? This talk went into a complete different direction than Nick expected, and from her looks Judy was puzzled as well. Bogo handed the case file in front of him over to Judy. As she flipped it open the Chief continued.

"You two are going to investigate in this case. But keep things… quiet."

"What do you m…" Nick started, but was interrupted by Judy, pushing her elbow into his side. She was pointing on the first page with the list of claimants and what was stolen. It took a few seconds until Nick's bleary-eyed mind was capable of understanding. "Oh. I see." Chief Bogos name was also on the list, his own smartphone listed as stolen.

"We will take care of this immediately and be absolutely discreet." Judy assured him, closing the case file and sticking it under her arm.

The Chief nodded, waved his hand for them to leave and said "Dismissed."

Nick had no idea what the hell came over him when he asked: "And nothing about Officer Hopps and me?" Judy, who had already turned around and was walking to the door, froze to a halt.

"What are you talking about, Wilde?" the Chief snarled, not expecting to have a further conversation now. Judy was looking at Nick with big eyes, as if she was pleading him to discard the topic for now. But Nick seemed to be one brick short of a full load.

"I thought you also wanted to discuss the fact we were… _(Nick wanted to say "kissing" but bethought himself)_ fraternizing." The fox did not look back at Judy, but he could hear her paw clasping onto her face.

Bogo slowly stood up and rose to full-size. "Are you kidding me?" he barked.

Nick shook his head. "No, Sir."

"You are fired."

Nick wasn't sure what reaction he was expecting from the Chief, but this one took him by surprise. He stood there, his mouth slightly open, unable to answer.

"What?!" Judy's voice was nearly a screaming and Bogo squinted his eyes. "You cannot fire him for this! Are you joking?"

"Yes, I am." This time it was Judy that was took by surprise by the Chiefs answer and her tantrum got stuck in her throat.

"W… what?" it was Nick who got his voice back at first.

For a moment, there was a sly grin on Bogos face, but it immediately vanished again. "Do you still rely on your partner's best efforts, Officer Hopps?" Bogo asked, allocated to Judy.

She immediately nodded "Yes, sir."

"You too, Officer Wild?"

"Yes, of course, Sir!"

"Are you going to do your work professionally and without any doubtful private … activities within work-hours?"

This time they both answered concurrent: "Yes, Sir!"

"Then it's absolutely not of my interest what you two are going to do in your private time. As long as it is in your private time!" The buffalo emphasized the last sentence, sat down again and started to work on his computer. This time both Nick and Judy took the hint and disappeared through the door. Bogo grinned mildly after them with a shake of his head when the door clunk shut.

* * *

"Are you totally insane?" Judy blurted out the instant they sat down in their police rover.

Nick only shrugged his shoulders and smiled softly. "Everyone saw us yesterday night and eventually we had to talk about it with Bogo. So why not take advantage of the moment when he asks us for a favor". He winked and Judy rolled her eyes while driving off to the Hollow Bar.

"Yeah, and he totally caught us on the wrong foot. Nevertheless, I'm glad that this is out of our way". Judy blinked nervously. She was indeed glad about it. Out of all those rules she learned eagerly, those about fraternization were no big priority for her back then and she was not too sure if it is allowed or not. Meanwhile Nick was studying the case file with the reports of petty theft, and for the rest of their drive they only discussed a few leads and testimonies.

They arrived at the Hollow Bar shortly after, and asked the Deer currently washing glasses if they could speak to the manager. Just as the manager, a tired looking moose, appeared, Judy's phone went off. She exchanged looks with Nick and he nodded. Nick heard the ringtone stop while Judy was heading to a corner accepting the call.

"Are you the manager?" he asked the moose. The mammal nodded and shook hands with him.

"Mr. Olivert it is; are you here because of the theft?"

* * *

Judy was somewhat worried when her phone went off. It was the ringtone assigned to her parents and normally they only called in the evening and not during her shift. She excused herself and went to a more private corner of the bar to accept the call.

"Hey, Mom! Dad! How are you, is everything okay?"

"Hi darling! Yepp, everything is great. How are things in your neck of the wood?"

"Great so far! I'm a little tired, I didn't get much sleep last night, you know the Gazelle concert". This wasn't the complete truth, but no lie nonetheless.

"Oh! Right! How was it, dear?"

"Great! But I'm currently at work. Can we talk about it another time?"

"Oh! Oh, right! Of course! We just wanted to call you to ask, if we can meet up for dinner this evening? We were visiting your Uncle Phil and are on our way back. We have to change trains and thought we could meet in the meantime?"

Judy felt even more tired thinking about a dinner with her parents this evening, all of a sudden. However, her parents glanced back at her full of expectations, so there was no way for her to chicken-out. "Yeah" she smiled back at them, oppressing a sigh. "That would be really great! When does your train arrive? I will pick you up at the main station." She asked, rummaging in her pocket for a note and pen.

* * *

Judy encountered Nick and Mr. Olivert while Nick was repeating all the facts he had already noted so far: "So, last night was already the fourth time, that your guests were robbed. Those affected have always noticed the theft when leaving your Bar or after they were already home. They also asked, whether they maybe only lost the things and they were given off to you. On what days did the previous incidents happen?"

The moose nodded to Nicks report and then answered: "The last two Fridays and Saturdays. Our most popular evenings because of the live band."

"We need your video tapes of those cameras…" Judy spoke up, pointing to the camera behind the bar and near the entrance. Mister Olivert nodded again and turned around to go into his back office, leaving Judy and Nick alone for the time being.

"Everything okay, carrots?" Nick asked, turning around to Judy.

"Yeah, it's only my parents. They are popping around for a dinner this afternoon at half-past four."

"Popping around? They live almost 300 km away!"

"They've visited a few distant relatives, who live up in Canadaw; and they have to switch trains here in Zootopia, so…" Judy shrugged.

Nick couldn't say any more because the moose returned and handed Judy four discs, labeled with the dates in question. "Anything else I can do for you, officers?"

"That's all for now, thank you very much. We will come back to you with news as soon as possible." Nick answered. Mister Olivert shook their hands goodbye and went back to his office.

"We should visit a few pawnbrokers." Nick suggested when they both left the bar and got into their rover.

"And perhaps we should visit our friend Duke Weaselton." Judy added, starting the car. "Is he on probation again?"

Nick took the radio. "We will find out quickly. ( _activating the microphone_ ) Dispatch, this is Wilde and Hopps. Could you checkup the personal file of Duke Weaselton for his status and sign-in address? Over".

"Roger. Stand-by".

"Hey, Nick…?" Judy started and Nick turned his head.

"What's up, carrots?"

"About this dinner with my parents later…"

"Don't worry about it, I don't need to go with you. It's still pretty early, this…" he gesticulated with his paw between them "…we-thing between us."

"It is not that I would be ashamed of you, Nick! I really … ( _hesitating a bit_ ) …yes, I really love you!" she looked to him for a moment and was smiling brightly. "But you know, parents are pretty bossy when it comes to their daughters. And I would like to talk about them when there is a little more time and they aren't on the go, you know?" Judy spoke pretty fast, even for her, and Nick knew ... or rather smelled ... that Judy was really nervous about her parents. However, she just said for the first time, that she loves him – and not only like you say it to your good friend, but really loves him.

"It's okay, Judy..." him, mentioning her name, gave her butterflies in her stomach again. "We have all the time in the world."

"But you'd join me yet, or?" she asked after a short pause – a radio message came in so Nick only nodded and smiled as agreement.

"Dispatch for Wilde and Hopps. Duke Weaselton is on probation since Tuesday. Address is 194, Lexington Lane. Over."

"Roger, dispatch. Wilde and Hopps, over and out".

"So he cannot be our thief, but perhaps he knows something".

"After all, he is the Duke of the black market", Judy winked and drove off to Lexington Lane.

Their visit to Weaselton's address was a flop, being just a building lot for a new Pawmarkt. But at one of the pawn shops, they strike: They could secure a pocket watch, two older smartphones and a ring, all from the thefts last week. The shop owner couldn't help them much but they confiscated another two discs of videos. As Judy was driving into their parking spot Nick played up again:

"Did you make a reservation for two VIP seats and get us some popcorn, fluff?" his sly grin back on.

"I wish it was some entertaining videos, this will take us quite some time to look through all those videos".

Entering the precinct Clawhauser waved to them and both Judy and Nick approached his desk. "Ohhh my goodness! Our newest twosome is back in! What were you two up to yesterday evening?" the cheetah was grinning from ear-to-ear, simultaneously grabbing for a doughnut and offering both of them one, too.

Judy's ears dropped, and she was sure that she must be bright as a tomato right now. Nick however just grinned back at Clawhauser with his best con-mammal smirk and purred with a wink "A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets – just as the details of our evening". Judy was already on her way to the elevator and Nick followed suit, just ignoring Clawhauser's 'Ohhs' and 'Awws' for the moment. They went to the second floor and right to their shared cubicle. Nick started watching the video discs from the pawnshop and Judy with those from the Hollow Bar. Even in fast motion this would take quite a while…

* * *

"Get a move on, Nick!" Judy rushed past a group of other mammals, setting out for platform two where her parents train just arrived. She spotted them the instant they stepped out the train and waved to them.

"Jude the Dude! Good to see you!" her father called and Judy wrinkled her nose on the nickname while giving her mother a hug.

"Hello, my dear!" her mother greeted her and rubbed her chin against Judy's cheek to leave her maternal scent mark on her. Judy hugged her father, too, while Nick slowly joined the small group of rabbits.

"You must be Misses Hopps" he smiled at Judy's mother, taking a suggested bow.

"Officer Wilde! What a nice surprise, nice to finally meet you in person!" Bonnie smiled at Nick and Stu Hopps shook hands with Nick.

"Hello, Officer Wilde. Nice to see you" – Judy's father was friendly, but Nick also found him somewhat short-spoken. He met this kind of prejudice constantly and was used to it. Nevertheless, it was clear that it would be difficult to eventually tell them about his relationship with Judy. She however didn't seem to have noticed the subtle undertone, and was already going ahead.

They sat in a small Diner near the central station and placed their orders. Judy told her parents about the Gazelle concert last night and what a great show it was while Nick most of the time just leaned back in his chair, occasionally sipping his Coke. She went on telling a long rigmarole about their evening together at the Hollow Bar with many of their colleagues, and what a great gift the concert tickets were for her friend Clawhauser. Even Nick's impromptu singing – however, she didn't mention what song or for whom it was dedicated – was mentioned and it commanded Bonnies admiration.

"To play an instrument or even singing is such a wonderful talent to have. The vixen getting to marry you is to be envied". Judy's foot started to pad on the ground, but Nick did not stop smiling. A short stroke with his tail along Judy's leg, unnoticed by her parents, settled her instantly. He was just about to answer, when another rabbit approached their table.

"Judy? Is it really you?" The newcomer was tall for a rabbit, with black fur and a few white spots. He wore a business suit made of the finest silk. Judy sprung off her seat and flung her arms around the rabbits' neck.

"Vicky! It's been so long since we last met, I almost didn't recognize you!"

"I hope it is okay that we told Victor where we are having dinner. We heard he is on a business trip here in Zootopia, too, and it would be a shame if we had missed this opportunity to meet." Bonnie Hopps said smiling. Nick sat upright involuntarily on seeing Judy hugging 'Vicky' so enthusiastically. However, he changed his mind immediately, stood up and handed Victor his paw in greeting.

"Hello, I'm Nick Wilde".

"I'm Victor Hoofer, nice to meet you", the rabbit answered politely.

"He is also a Police Officer and Partner on the force with Judy", Stu said explanatory.

"I will get us another chair." Nick said smiling, but when he returned a few seconds later, Victor was already sitting beside Judy on Nicks chair. Only reluctantly Stu gave him some space so Nick could push in between him and Victor. The slick rabbit, as Nick named him mentally, was eagerly chatting with Judy and her parents. He is a lawyer at a large and prestigious company, and an old school friend with Judy or whatever. Nick was quickly marginalized by Judy's parents and she didn't even notice because of her chatting with 'Vicky'. He crossed his legs and leaned back, his aviator sunglasses on his nose and his old con-mammal smile back in place…

* * *

Judy waved their parents goodbye while the train was departing from the station. Victor had to leave early for an appointment and Nick and Judy were on their way to the subway station.

"This was a great evening; don't you think?" She asked eagerly, still smiling.

"Yeah."

"It was great to see Vicky again, I haven't see him for nearly ten years! He has really done well for himself!"

Nick nodded and then stopped hesitantly. "I think I left my phone in my locker at the precinct. I will go and fetch it, I need it to wake up, you know…" He still had his iron smiling face on and when Judy stopped, too, and turned around to face him her big eyes were mirrored in his sunglasses.

"What are you talking about? You used your phone while we were in the Diner" – His smile weakened a nuance, but he didn't say anything, his paws in his pockets. "And tomorrow is our day off, you don't need an alarm to wake up on a Sunday".

He still tried to maintain his innocent smile but it was of no use. ' _Dumb_ _fox_ ', he told himself, this was a stupid and thoughtless excuse. However, right now he could not think straight, there was a pungent sting in his chest. So he just stood there, saying nothing.

"Hey, what's the matter Nick?" Judy sounded concerned and made a step in his direction, trying to take his paw in hers.

"Nothing, carrots. I'm fine". The sound of his voice and his body language let him down completely, and just when Judy wanted to reply he sighed and said: "It's okay, fluff. We just had this one evening together. He is a really nice rabbit". His last words sounded like ice.

"Oh. My. Goodness. Nicholas Piberius Wilde! Are you jealous?" Judy sounded amused and shocked simultaneously. When called by his full name, Nick winced slightly.

"Perhaps… just a little bit…" he murmured embarrassed. Judy laughed so brightly that he winced again, and then she flung her arms around him, cuddling her face onto his chest.

"Dumb fox!"

"Cruel Bunny…"

"Don't look like that! There is nothing to be jealous about. He is really just an old friend from school". Nick enjoyed her embrace and put his arms around her himself. "And besides, he's gay." She smirked at Nick's nonplussed look.

"And how the hell was I supposed to know?"

"Uhm… good point. So, for you the evening was a bust. I'm so sorry, Nick…" Judy looked at him with her sad, big eyes and her ears dropped.

"Nothing to worry about, carrots". He took his aviator sunglasses off and smiled back at her warmly. They just stood there on the sidewalk, hugging each other. After a while Nick asked: "Do your parents know that Victor is… you know… gay?"

"I don't think so?"

"Well…" It took Judy a few moments until she grasped what Nick suggested.

"You think they wanted to set me up with him?" her paws thrown over her mouth.

"The good looking and successful rabbit, a meetup in the big city together with the parents…"

"Oh my god, I think you're right!" Judy looked shocked but Nick just smiled softly.

"I think, we have to talk to them eventually about us in the near future, or we will just encounter more of their hookup attempts. By the way, do you have a lot of those Adonis looking school friends I have to try to be on par with?"

"Perhaps one or two. But don't worry, you are the only one I really care for…" she winked with a sly grin. "What do you think, breakfast at my apartment?" And before Nick could answer her, she took him by his paw with her, walking to the subway heading home.

* * *

 **Many thanks to Sean Dalglish for his review and proofreading this chapter! (Feb 2017)**


	3. 1x03 - Everything for a good cause

**This chapter is also available as an audio drama on YouTube!**  
 **youtu. be/JpqPDJ_EHnE?list=PLIVs1D93vz38riF4nqo5uTmGpoU1yWeko**

* * *

Judy and Nick had started to watch a movie at her small apartment, snuggled together on her bed. However, they were so short of sleep that soon after they slept like spoons. The rabbit was the first to wake up in the morning. She had managed to get a good night's sleep after having not slept for a long time. It was good to sleep arm in arm with someone. Nick's warm fur was so soft and she snuggled her head against him, her eyes still closed and smiling with a satisfied expression on her face. She listened to his slow and constant heartbeat. Her exceptional hearing always told her when someone she was talking to was lying, or at least nervous and excited. Over the years, she had learned to differentiate between a dishonest heartbeat and an excited one, to differ between a sad one and a relaxed one. It was not an exact science, but it helped here now on interrogating suspects. In addition, by now she could keenly determine Nick's mood only by listening to his heartbeat. Currently he was still deeply asleep, and judging by his smile, he was having some sweet dreams. Judy fondled with his bushy tail, embraced it and fell into a light sleep, for her part having some sweet dreams, too.

It was about two hours later, around 9 o'clock on a beautiful Sunday morning, when Judy awoke again. She yawned and rubbed her eyes with her paws. Even before she opened her eyes she noticed Nick's slow, but this time awake heartbeat. She blinked and looked directly into his green eyes, a dreamy smile on his snout.

"Hey, carrots. Slept well?" he rubbed his nose along her cheek only to kiss her sentimentally on her neck.

"Mhmhh…" she hummed approvingly with a big smile. They both just lay there for a while, enjoying the nearness of each other. Judy was the first to get up: "I could go on forever, just being with you. But I'm hungry and could eat you accidentally". She giggled.

"Say, which of us is the predator again?" Nick laughed and straightened up on the bed.

"Last night you were pretty tame, so I'm not totally sure". Judy returned with a wink and hopped to the refrigerator. Her ears sank when she opened it to scan for something to eat. "It seems like I have promised too much with regard to having breakfast". She grumbled and closed the door with a frustrated sigh.

Nick leaned his head to the side, moving his tongue seductively over his lips, slightly showing his white teeth. "Then I guess its rabbit that's on the menu…"

"Or I just invite you to some breakfast at Starpaws", Judy answered, paws on her hips; with a sly grin. It was some gorgeous view, Nick thought, seeing Judy in this provocative pose only in a shirt and underwear. But Nick acted disappointed and Judy added: "Okay, and some Blueberry Muffins, too!"

Nick grinned again, from ear-to-ear. "Proposal accepted! Sly Bunny…"

"Simple Fox."

* * *

They sat together on a park bench, both enjoying some blueberry muffins and a hot pot of coffee for _Nick_ and a hot chocolate for _Judy_ respectively. It was a great Sunday, with sunny weather and all. A few mammals were doing sports, running through the park or doing yoga on the meadow. Some others, just like Judy and Nick, were just enjoying the weather, going for a walk or sitting under a tree or other benches. Nick wore the same casual clothes as yesterday, as he did not have anything to change at Judy's apartment. Judy wore some leggings and a tank top, knowing exactly what a turn on it was for Nick as she heard his heartbeat accelerate when she was changing. She now sat laterally on the bench, leaning her head back against Nick's shoulder, and he put his arm around her, his paw resting on her belly. He caressed her with his thumb just were her top ended, stroking through her thin fur.

They had both sat there in silence, watching a family of about a dozen rabbits picnicking about 150 meters away on the lawn. The kits were playing tag and romped around the grass, giggling loudly and having fun. It was Nick's heartbeat again, that let Judy predict that something had been bothering Nick for a couple of minutes. He seemed to be uneasy, something she didn't really notice that often with the sly fox. She opened her eyes and looked up.

"Hey, earth to Foxy. Anybody home?" she asked playfully, tickling him with her ears under his chin.

Nick gave a jerk and smiled to her. "Roger that, everything's fine".

"'Fine' is the smaller sibling of 'bullshit'".

Nick looked shocked. "Such bad words from such a small bunny, you are poleaxing me carrots!"

"Come on, Nick. I always know when something is wrong with you. I don't want to drag everything out of you, and you just downplaying it every time doesn't help either". Nick was watching her closely so Judy continued: "You can trust me. I love you, you know that?" She laid her paw gently on his and smiled.

Nick returned her smile. "Are you sure about this? About us?"

Judy was somewhat irritated. "Of course I am. Why do you doubt?"

"I don't know. Mixed species couples aren't anything fancy these days, even between predator and prey. But a fox and a bunny also isn't quite standard".

"Do you mind being seen with a bunny in public?"

"No!" Nick denied quickly. "I love you like crazy!"

"As I said I love you, too. So what's the point?" Judy was uncertain why Nick was so hesitant.

"It would be easier for you to be with a nice rabbit like Victor".

"I already told you, he isn't into females", Judy rolled her eyes, she hated it when Nick walked on eggshells instead of just getting to the point that was really bothering him.

"I know, It was just an example. Your parents…" " _So that's what_ was causing his grief", Judy thought to herself. "…I am sure, they wish you to start a family of your own". Nick looked back at the bunny family and their nearly a dozen children. Judy put her paw on his snout and pulled his face in her direction.

"I'm sure, they wish me to be happy, and if you don't want to have children that's ok. I have 275 brothers and sisters; they will get a lot of grandchildren in either case". Her smile was so heart-warming, Nicks heartbeat made a few leaps.

"You don't want kits, Judy?"

His mention of her name gave her jimjams in her belly again. "I want to be with you, Nick", she heard his heart beating like a drum, but it was a happy sound. Nevertheless, he seemed contemplative. "What's on your mind?"

"Do you know anything about fox relationships?"

erratic with promiscuous behavior?" Judy winked.

This time, Nicks shocked facial expression wasn't an act. "No! Dumb Bunny."

"So, tell me then".

Nick leaned back and thought for a while before talking again. "We aren't promiscuous in any way. Quite the contrary. We rarely fall in love with others. However, when we do, it is an eternal relationship".

"Oh…" Judy suddenly sounded a bit disappointed. "So you are saying this is just a short-time thing?"

She hardly finished her sentence and immediately his heartbeat responded excitedly. "No! Nothing like that! I… I think…" Nicks heart attempted to just burst out of his chest, as measured by his heart frequency. "I think I already found my life partner, but…"

Judy jumped around on her knees, laying her arms around Nick's neck. "Is it a sly bunny?" she asked seductively, smiling at him. Nick just nodded and looked defeated. "I think…", Judy whispered in his ear, "…I found my life partner, too." She pecked his ear and they both sat there, arm in arm, cuddling together. Finally, their heartbeats synchronized – even though for every beat of his heart there were three for Judy's. But both of them knew they had found someone special.

* * *

 ** _Case File 732829/HW-2903, Report of arrest_**

 _On Sunday, 17th May 3316, Officers Judith Hopps and Nicholas Wilde were off-duty in the Sahara Central Park. The suspect, a koala later identified as Jackson Piering, known under the nickname "Baggy", approached them about half past eleven in the morning, offering some nice and cheap selling jewelry. He was also assuming that Officers Wilde and Hopps were having an affair and could need some non-retraceable smartphones to message each_ _other_ _. Both officers played along and the suspect showed them a collection of phones, jewelry, sunglasses and other small electronics like MP3 players from his backpack. Officer Hopps examined a few phones, apparently looking for_ _one that matched_ _her fur color. As she could identify two smartphones as presumably those being stolen_ _on_ _a few occasions in the Hollow Bar, Officer Wilde identified himself as police officer with his badge and both, Officer Wilde and Hopps could overpower the suspect. They Mirandized him and called the precinct controller to have him retrieved by Officers Fangmeyer and McHorn. The suspect refused to give any evidence. The secured items were later identified to be_ _booty_ _from_ _all_ _eight_ _thefts_ _._

* * *

Both, Nick and Judy, sat on the big chair in front of Chief Bogos desk. It was Sunday afternoon and the buffalo read their report of arrest that they had just handed in. Nick wasn't happy to be in the precinct on their day off, but after the arrest they made this morning, there was quite some paperwork to do. Independent if it was their day off or not. They could finish their open case, quite a bonanza for sure. But that also meant more work and less cuddle-time. Judy was taking it with a pinch of salt, glad to take any opportunity to prove herself. Finally, Bogo discarded the report. "Good work. Enjoy the rest of your day off. Dismissed".

* * *

As they walked out of the precinct Judy seemed to be disappointed.

"What's on your mind, carrots? Not pleased with our achievement?"

"Just a lucky shot. We wasted the whole day yesterday with interrogations and those stupid surveillance movies, and today this fool just run into us".

Nick lay his arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently to his side. "Don't worry, fluff. There will be plenty cases for you to prove you, and I'm not sad that this case is now closed".

Judy kicked a ball back to some kits and smiled. "You are right. We solved the case, it doesn't matter how".

"Yepp, that's the spirit I am talking about, carrots".

They lingered around the city for a while, stopping from time to time to look at some shop-windows or to have some ice cream. Later they sat in a restaurant, eating some pasta for dinner. They talked and laughed a lot and time flew again. It was around ten o'clock when they decided to spend the night at Nick's apartment, eventually watching a movie together. However, cuddling together on his bed, they did not even bother to switch on the TV and after a while, they dozed: Nick curled up on the sheets, his tail touching his head, and Judy lay midway on her side, facing Nick's face and snuggled into him.

* * *

They arrived at the precinct a little early on Monday morning. Nick's apartment was farther away, but Judy picked up some clothes from her flat the evening before so they didn't have to make a detour. Before they walked through the door they looked at each other.

"Left!" Judy asserted and Nick smirked.

"Right, then".

They opened the door and approached Clawhauser's desk.

"Hi buddy! Had a nice weekend?"

"Ohh, hi Nick! Judy! I had a great weekend, my brother came by for a visit, and I heard you two had some action?"

"Just an arrest of an alleged thief", Judy responded smiling, then pointing to his neck. "You... have some donut there... no, not there, on the other side… more left... yepp!" – Clawhauser took the donut from his skin/fur fold under the left side of his chin, ( _Judy had won!_ )

"You two cannot enjoy even your free day, can you?" the cheetah mocked.

"We were just out for a walk in the park when he really tried to sell us some of those stolen Goods". Nick snickered.

"Ohhh, you two were dating, then? How did it go?"

"It went like clockwork, until we had to call dispatch for an arrest". Judy winked at him, and before Clawhauser could ask for any more details, they were both off to get some coffee/hot chocolate before getting their daily Rota from Chief Bogo.

Fangmeyer sat beside Judy and Nick in the conference room and they chatted about the arrest the day before. "I Didn't believe you two could pass off as undercover agents; least of all you", he nodded in Judy's direction with a wink. "Being the first and currently only rabbit on the force and those months of media attention I thought you were known all over town. Good work you two!" he put his thumb up approvingly. Judy beamed with pride and her nose twitched. When Chief Bogo entered the room, a bawl went through the crowd, as usual. ' _Too much_ _testosterone_ ', Judy said to herself. Bogo scheduled all the different districts and patrol routes into teams. Then he added:

"As most of you already know by the end of the week the 47. Diversity City Festival is going to start. I'm going to create an operational schedule tomorrow. Everyone who wants to enlist in the sport competitions on Friday has to hand in a notification by end of the day, by the end of the late shift. You will be indemnified from regular schedule on this day for your participation. However, the least I expect is a medalist! Any questions?" Some mumbling and quiet laughter was going on, so Chief Bogo finished the meeting and left the room, most of the officers following him, leading in one direction or the other.

"What do you think?" Judy asked Nick while strolling to the parking area.

"Hm? Think about what, carrots?"

"Well, enlisting in the sport competitions, of course!"

"Huh? I would have thought that you of all people would rather do scheduled service".

"Yeah, but I heard about the Diversity City Festival of Zootopia back when I was a kit, and I already thought back then that it was a great idea! Every type of mammal living together in a big city, anyone can be anything, this City Festival celebrates everything I love about Zootopia! And look at us, Nick!" They both stopped in a corridor, and Judy was now facing Nick with an enthusiastic smile. "The first rabbit officer of the ZPD, and the first fox officer of the ZPD! And maybe even the very first Rabbit-Fox-Couple. We both are living the spirit of the festival. Wouldn't it be great to be an active part of it, too?" Judy was gettin0067 more and more enthusiastic about this idea, bouncing on her feet in front of Nick and twitching her nose.

Nick smiled at her, leaned against the wall and flipped his feet over. Not only could he see – and hear – Judy's enthusiasm, he literally smelled it. He always had a distinct olfaction, but most of the time he just suppressed it. Living in a big city like Zootopia with such a big diversity of animals was an olfactory challenge. Too many pheromones and artificial scents, it was too much to deal with. However, it was more difficult to ignore smells when you were with the same person day in, day out. Over the years as a Conmammal, Nick also learned to use his skills to his advantage. It could be a huge benefit to know if someone you try to outsmart is nervous or relaxed. When you try to distract a woman by flirting, it is useful to know if she finds you – or what you said to her – attractive or boring. Moreover, by now he could tell that Judy was definitely excited about the idea of participating in this Diversity Festival with him together as a couple. Pheromones are a better lie detector for emotions than any electronic device!

"And for what disciplines should we register?" Nick asked, still smiling.

"I don't know", Judy replied sheepishly. "What disciplines are there?"

"Well, there is a cycling race in Sahara Square, a Biathlon with kayak and running, skiing, a swimming contest…"

"Sounds a lot like our academy training", Judy laughed and Nick grinned.

"Yeah, there are quite a few similarities. The sport activities are on Friday, distributed all over the dozen districts of Zootopia. So we can register for one, perhaps two of them", Nick shrugged.

Judy still was all hyped up. "The Biathlon sounds great! But I want to do something together with you, too", She smiled broadly and put her paws together like she was praying.

"Hmm, the Biathlon sounds good to me".

Judy leapt into the air and reached out with one arm.

"But only on one condition, carrots".

The rabbit raised her eyebrow skeptically, "And what condition is that?"

"You will accompany me to the festivities on Friday evening as my escort", Nick smiled and winked at her.

"Sly Fox".

"Dumb Bunny. Do you agree?"

"Yes, of course! Let's go to Bogo to register for Friday immediately!" Judy grabbed Nicks paw and wanted to rush to the Chiefs office.

But Nick stopped her: "Hey, hey, not so fast. Registration is at the front desk; we have to talk to Clawhauser for this". Then he dragged her into the other direction to the front desk.

* * *

The rest of their day was just routine patrol around Central Square and the Rainforest district. There were a few motoring offences, like speeding, and a road traffic accident between a giraffe and a beaver. Overall, it was a quiet shift, and Nick and Judy left the precinct, after finishing their daily reports, just in time.

"Are you in the mood for some pizza, carrots?" Nick suggested on their way to the subway.

"Sounds good to me", She hesitated a moment, then continued. "Do you want to sleepover at my flat?" She smiled a little coyly.

"Another favor I should do for you?" the fox asked mocking.

Judy wrinkled her nose. "Nah, you don't have to. I could ask my neighbors to come over. A deer is not as cuddly as a certain fox, but I could surely accustom myself to it".

Now it was Nicks time to wrinkle his nose. "Your neighbor is a bit fishy in my book. I cannot allow for him to utilize you."

Judy smirked. "So, you're coming?"

"I cannot promise to come, but I will stay at your apartment". Nicks sly and gamy grin made Judy blush and she boxed him against his shoulder.

"Dumb fox!"

"Cheeky bunny".

They went to the subway station and drove off to Nick's apartment. He wanted to take a few spare clothes and around the corner was a very nice pizzeria, run by squirrels. As they sat down on the outside, a squirrel in a suite came up to them to take their orders. "We'll take one bottle of Merlot, a pizza with carrots and zucchini and a pizza with mushrooms, peas and some carrots", Nick said without hesitation, before Judy could even have a look at the card. The squirrel nodded and shooed back to the counter.

Judy cocked her head, and squinted her eyes. "How do you know what I want to eat?"

"You like carrots on your pizza, carrots, and you always ate them with zucchini, when you are …" Nick suddenly interrupted himself and looked embarrassed to Judy. Then he quickly re-arranged the silverware and napkin on his side, although everything was straight already. Nevertheless, it was clear as day that Judy would not drop the subject.

"When I am what, Nick?" She heard his heartbeat rushing. It seemed as if this was awkward for him, even though she hardly experienced this with Nick. He sighed and he looked defeated, as if he was pleading with his eyes that she let him drop the subject, but she returned his look with a resolute and questioning look. He closed his eyes and mumbled something so quiet, that even Judy could not understand him. She kicked her feet against his under the table.

"Ouch!"

"What is it, Nick?"

He sighed again, and bent over to her, speaking very quietly. "I noticed that you always eat some carrots mixed with zucchini when you are in heat. As a salad, in a wrap or on a pizza".

"Wow, you are a good observ… wait a second…" Her eyes grew bigger when she realized what Nick just suggested. Moreover, she blushed because he was right. "How do you know?" She asked almost in a whisper and a little frightened.

Nick shrugged "I am a fox. We have an excellent olfaction, and your scent changes ever so slightly when you're in heat".

Judy clasped her paws over her mouth and did not know what to say. "You can smell it?" She mouthed without speaking aloud and Nick smiled slyly.

"Not only that…" Judy groaned and wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Nick was fair enough to not say anything and waited for her to handle this. In Private, he was afraid that this revelation could scare Judy enough to bail on him any second. As their meals were served they started to eat, still without saying anything. Nicks heart sank into his boots. He was sure that he had goofed this up, he had showed too much of his true self. He had been thinking since their kiss on Friday night that she was too good for him, that he didn't deserve someone like her, and now he had said to Judy that he could smell her scent, even know when she was in heat. This must have been daunting. He thought about getting up and running. But even when Nick didn't say a word, Judy knew exactly what was going on inside of him. Finally, his heartbeat was anxious – just like that of a prey when hunted by a predator, Judy thought – and she thought he was going to spring up from the table at any moment. That was the second she could not postpone a reaction; she reached out her paw and laid it gently on his. He seemed to ease off at her touch and she smiled at this realization.

"It's okay, Nick. You did not say anything wrong, you just dumbfounded me. It is quite plain to me that you have an extraordinary sense of smell, I just never thought about it… this way".

"I am so sorry that I embarrassed you", Nick spoke in a low voice. "I really am just a dumb fox".

"The main thing is that you are my dumb fox", Judy smiled warmly to him and finally Nick too was smiling again.

"If you want to continue to put up with me?"

"Don't ever questioned this again!" She stroked his paw with her thumb. "I love you, Nick". His heart made a little backflip at these words and Nick replied.

"I love you too, Judy".

* * *

Next few days they met in the exercise room of the ZPD after their regular shift. They were both in shape, but the competition on Friday, even if it's for the good cause, would quite be an effort. After some stretching, they both each used the rowing machines for about an hour. Then some limbering-up exercise and finally they jogged through the Central Park for a few laps and then alternated to Judy's or Nicks apartment. Judy was always first when jogging, but on the rowing machines, Nick had an advantage due to his greater developed arm musculature. It was on Thursday evening, one day before the big Diversity City Festival. In the last days, they trained after their shift for several hours and where quite dead when they arrived at Nicks flat. Judy lay flat on her back on Nicks bed spread-eagled, fanning some air with her tank top. They didn't mention again that she was currently in heat and by now it was the last, or second to last day of this cycle. Doing sports worked great as distraction, although Nicks trained and sweaty upper body was a splendid view now. The fox had taken off his shirt – ' _Stay calm and eat carrots_ ' – and threw it in a box with other dirty linen.

"I'm off for a shower, carrots. Mi casa es su casa". He ambled into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar.

Minutes later the flowing water could be heard in the other room, where Judy was still lying on the bed. She straightened up, propping herself on her elbows. "Tomorrow will be a stressful day" she said, more to herself than to Nick.

"What is with tomorrow?" Nick asked from under the shower.

"It will be quite stressful; don't you think?"

"That's what we trained all week for, carrots!"

about the sporting events, but I heard there are a few smaller protests around the city".

"Most of the ZPD will be on patrol, nothing to be worried about, fluff".

"Yeah…" But Judy didn't totally ease off. She hopped from the bed, took off her tank top and sport-BH, and sneaked through the bathroom door. She undid her trunks and undies, too, and crept behind the shower curtain, to Nick into the shower. He leaned with his head to the tiling and let the water drip down his back, not noticing the small rabbit. It was only when she stroked her paws through his fur, that he realized he was no longer alone in the shower and twitched back in surprise.

"Carrots! You will give me a heart attack some day!" he snickered, but went speechless when he realized she was naked in front of him for the first time.

"No smart comment, Officer Wilde?" she asked slyly, now stroking his hips with her paws. Nick just shook his head with a featherbrained appearance open-mouthed and reduced to silence. Judy giggled softly and massaged the fur on his stomach. Finally, Nick regained his tongue and hunkered down. One of his paws caressed Judy's cheek, the other he stroked down her back.

When he spoke again, his voice was serious and gentle. "Judy, you are the most beautiful woman I ever saw". After that, he kissed her more passionately than he ever had before. Judy pegged with her paw against the steaming up glass wall of the shower and returned his kiss.

* * *

The next morning, both Nick and Judy were somewhat weary when their alarm went off, but a cold shower woke up the rabbit first, then the fox. While Judy was in the shower, Nick prepared a small breakfast: Some crispbread, a fresh fruit salad and a drink made of mixed vegetables, mainly carrots for Judy and tomato and apples for Nick. Up to this point he had never used his mixer, he had received it as a gift from his mother the day he moved into this apartment. However, Judy quickly taught him how to make fruit and vegetable drinks with it. It wasn't so bad, after all, he agreed. While Nick finally took his round in the shower, Judy already made some warming up and stretching exercises. She felt great today! Nothing could prevent her good mood to… her phone went off, the sound already revealing her parents as the caller.

"My parents are calling!" Judy shouted, so that Nick would hear it in the bathroom; then accepted the muzzle call.

"Hey, darling!" Her mother greeted her with a big smile.

"Hi mom, hi dad!" Judy waved with a paw into the camera, still beaming in anticipation of today's events.

"Just wanted to give you a short call before you start your day. Today is the sport festival you and your colleagues from the ZPD are participating in, right?"

Nick came out of the bathroom, totally nude and smiling, leaning against the doorframe. When Judy caught sight of him, he giggled but immediately looked down to her phone again and answered her parents.

"Yepp, today is the big day. Targeting to be a medal winner, nothing short", She winked.

"Of course you are, my dear! We wish you good luck! Give us a call after you're finished, will you?"

"Of course, mom! OK, I have to go, don't want to be late today!" They said goodbye to each other, and Judy put her phone down. Then grinned and threw a shirt in Nick's face. "Would you please dress up; we are going to be late otherwise!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Nick saluted to Judy who laughed, and then Nick quickly dressed up in his sportswear while Judy drank her carrot-shake.

* * *

They had to report in at the precinct and were dismissed right after the morning schedule. Besides Nick and Judy, Fangmeyer registered for the hurdle race and Marki, a wolf they didn't know well, was registered for the second biathlon for skiing and shooting. All others were grouped in teams all around the different hotspots.

"Remember there are two registered protests. Only a small number of participants are to be expected and precinct four will handle most of it. But be prepared if support is necessary. Dismissed".

"Hopps, Fangmeyer, Wilde, Marki, just a minute…" Bogo shouted as the colleagues were heading to the parking spot or the front hall. The four grouped around Bogo, who took a big envelope from his desk. He got four signs from it with their registration numbers. "You are figureheads of the ZPD! Don't disappoint me! You can take two days off, so see you on Monday – with your medals! Dismissed!" Bogo grunted and then left, the four athletes chatted for a few minutes together and helped each other to clip the numbers to their shirts.

"Good luck, everybody!" Nick waved goodbye, and he and Judy went to the subway station. They had to start in about two hours in the Rainforest District with kayak being their first discipline of the biathlon. They would have to row 42 kilometers together in one boat. After that, they would have to run another 21 kilometers through Savannah Central, the goal line being at the town hall. As both must cross the finish line to win the race it would not help if Judy sprinted forward and Nick went for broke during the rowing part. They registered as a team and only as a team they could – they would! – win.

"Have you ever participated in the festival in the past?" Judy asked while they were doing light stretching to warmup.

"No, never. After the incident with the boy scout's I wasn't too keen in participating in this festival as a fox".

"Oh, sorry. I didn't want to bring bad memories back, Nick."

"It's okay, who could blame them. It was another time back then, and the protests are proving that those times are not entirely gone".

"When I was a child, I always heard what a wonderful place Zootopia was, where anyone could be anything, and all different kinds of mammals lived together. I sometimes forget, that you lived here back then and it was nothing like I thought it was".

"Never mind, carrots. I would still be the sly Conmammal everyone expects from me as a fox", he stopped his exercise and turned to Judy. "You were the first one beside my mother who really believed in me. You even relied on me and gave me the feeling of being an important part of something bigger. Without you I would be lingering in the streets or be in jail by now. You made me a better person".

Judy smiled at him, fighting back her tears.

Nick reached for her paw, "And if this wasn't enough, you even gave me something even more important", he raised her paw to his snout and kissed it gently.

Judy sniffed; she wiped away some tears with her other arm and boxed him softly on the shoulder. "Dumb fox".

"Sly bunny".

"Shut up, you foxes are so emotional!" she sobbed and then both of them laughed at the same time. "We have some more exercises to do!"

* * *

( _YouTube: 0OWj0CiM8WU_ )  
It was early afternoon when they climbed into the kayak and the competition began. Besides them, there were 14 other teams participating and when the signal to start went off, they had managed to gain an early lead. When they got to the halfway mark, they had managed to get a few hundred meters ahead of the second team. They did not talk but rowed in an uninflected and steady rhythm. They arrived in first place at the first goal line after 43 minutes and 29 seconds. Their arms felt like lead, but there were still twenty-one kilometers to run. Nick was a good sprinter, but for this distance he had to spread his stamina for the whole run. Judy had been running long distances since her youth, so it was her duty to stay near Nick and to motivate him or give him some instructions to hang on. It did not make any sense to rush through this, instead they tried to maintain a constant speed. All kinds of mammals were cheering on the side of the roped road, a lot of them swinging flags and banners. There were also a few camera teams filming the whole event, and all kinds of different music was playing here and there from big loudspeakers. But Nick did not bother, he was concentrating hard to hold his speed and rhythm, Judy encouraging him from time to time. It was no help that she sometimes even ran backwards, facing him and taunting him with a wink. Not only did his arms feel like lead now, but also his legs. Even breathing was like thousands of small needles pricking his lungs. He vaguely noticed two or three other running teams passing them, but he was too focused to really notice.

Then Judy's voice brought him back to present: "Just one kilometer left, Nick! We are currently fourth, do you think we can speed up for a final spurt?" Nick was sure, she could easily sprint right ahead and even be the first to cross the finish line. But they both had to. He was not sure, he could keep up with this speed for the final meters, much less speeding up. "Come on Nick. I believe in you!" Judy's big eyes were looking at him and her paw was touching his arm.

He would do it. For Judy. "For you", he heard his own dull voice saying, a smile creeping on his snout while he actually noticeably sped up. They both ran all-out for the last few hundred meters and eventually overtook one team. They almost overhauled the second placed team but crossed the finish line being on the verge of doing so. There was a lot of shouting and cheering from so many mammals, but for Nick the only important one was Judy jumping happily in front of him, flailing her arms in the air. She finally jumped against his chest, embracing him so hard he nearly fainted.

* * *

"Hello, my name is Carla Columna, and I'm live on the ground with ZPD Officer Judy Hopps at Zootopia's forty-seventh Diversity Festival". The gazelle was cheerfully talking to a camera with a microphone in her hoof. Next to her was Judy, still breathing a bit heavily and with a towel around her shoulders. "Judy, you just made the third place at the Kayak-Running-Biathlon with your partner, how are you?"

"Oh, I'm feeling pretty well. Still somewhat puffed".

"You were in first place after the kayak leg, are you disappointed that you only made it to third in the whole run?"

"On no account! It's the taking part that counts, and there was some really tough competition. I heard the first placing team won for the fourth year in a row. To be the third off the top of one's head is surely a big thing and nothing to be disappointed about".

"Of course, you are right Judy! Who was the good-looking man on your side, accomplishing the phenomenal final spurt for you?"

"Oh, that's my partner and friend, Nick! He has currently lost his wind, but we made a great team together!"

"All of the best wishes to you both! And after a short commercial, we are taking a look at the progress of the Skiing-Shooting-Biathlon over in Tundratown. Stay tuned!"

* * *

There were a lot of mammals around and Judy had a hard time finding Nick. She also tried to hear him, but there was just too many noises to concentrate. Suddenly a paw was put on her shoulder.

"Hey, carrots", Judy was caught by surprise and jumped around. "Hey, hey…" Nick held up his paws in defense and smiled quite exhausted. "It's just your dumb fox".

"Oh, Nick!" Judy smiled and hugged him. "Sorry, it's just that you usually can't sneak up on me like this. You were great!"

"Naah, I hold you back. You could have done so much better without me, I even bet you could have beaten the first place!"

"You never hold me back, Nick. Without you, I would never have made it through kayak. We are a great couple!"

"You mean a great team", He winked.

"I mean we are both, dumb fox", She laughed. "Come on, let's sit down for a while". Judy took him by his paw and they both went to a leafy bower slightly aside from the hustle and bustle.

* * *

"I do not think this is a good idea, Nick". Judy was in her bathroom for quite a while. They came back to her place in the afternoon to take a shower and freshen up for the dancing party she agreed to go to with Nick. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a black shirt and a dark red tie. However, Judy had been in the bathroom for nearly two hours and was moaning about her appearance and outfit.

"You could wear nothing but a towel and still be the most beautiful woman at that party, carrots", Nick assured her. He had never seen Judy wear a dress or something similar, he did not even know that she owned one. Anyway, he was sure that she would look wonderful.

"But you are not allowed to laugh, promise?"

"I'll promise I'll go alone if you don't come out of that bathroom at once!" he laughed.

Finally, he heard her sigh and the door opened. Judy wore a body-hugging, shoulder less silk dress in light green. Her fur was carefully brushed and sprayed with some glitter around her cheeks. She even put on some eye make-up and lipstick.

"I don't know, is it okay? I only wore it once to a wedding". Judy looked somewhat shy but smiling at him. Nick on the other hand leaned against the wall, his mouth hung slightly open. He wanted to say something, but in his head was a big black hole; he tried to make a compliment, but only some babbling was coming from his mouth. Judy began to feel a bit uncertain. "I guess I can change into something more convenient", She suggested and turned around.

But Nick managed to say a single word: "No!" She hesitated and Nick swallowed the lump in his throat. "You are beautiful like a sunrise after a rainy season, bright like the brightest star ever seen by mammals, and pure like a snowflake". Judy put a paw over her mouth and Nick finished: "I swear; you are only one halo away from being the angel of light". Judy swore she blushed so hard that she must be as red as Nicks fur. The fox made a slightly unconfident step in her direction, holding his paw out. "Please allow me the honor of being your escort for the evening".

Judy snickered and made a curtsy. "It is a privilege to go out with you".

They ordered a Zuber and when they finally arrived at the city hall, the party was in full swing. They met a few colleagues on duty, as well as off duty and greeted them. Clawhauser was in a colorful suite himself and hugged both of them on sight.

"Hello sweethearts! Good to see you having some fun, too! Woah, Judy! You look gorgeous! Moreover, congratulations on your victory earlier today! Bogo was grumbling that you only made it in third place, but in truth he is really proud of you. Fangmeyer only made it in fifth and Marki got the gold medal as usual. At least he is one of our best Snipers, and a really good skier, too!"

They made some more Smalltalk, greeting colleagues and friends passing by, and sipping on their second cocktail. It was a great party, and the live band was playing some of the greatest hits. It was nearly ten o'clock when one of the hosts, a grey koala, went on stage and grabbed a microphone.

The band played a fanfare and the koala shouted "Attention, please!" It took a while and the band played a second fanfare until the voices trickled away. "Thank you that you all appeared so multitudinously and made this festival one of the greatest we ever had! As a yearly highlight, we now start our Song-For-A-Dance-Contest, our band will be available the whole evening for your wishes. Our only condition is that you have to dance to it! Thank you all together and have a nice evening!"

The crowd applauded enthusiastically and the band waited for the first song wish. It only took a few seconds and the koala that delivered the speech was dancing with a cheetah to ' _Try everything_ '. Clawhauser was excited about the cover version, and danced along, and many mammals did the same. Even Nick was dangling with his hips and Judy giggled.

"I have a great idea!" she exclaimed. Nicks eyes grew big and he felt somewhat uneasy. This was Judy's 'Try everything' tone of voice. She emptied her Cocktail and when the song was nearly finished she ran fleet-footed to the stage, indicating to Nick with some gesture to follow her. The fox followed her slowly to the stage while Judy had a short talk with the band leader. Quite a few animals threw a glance after them, and Nick was proud to have this beautiful bunny at his side. The moment the band started to play, Judy turned around to him. ( _YouTube "cyrdSGeF5Qs"_ ) She stepped light-footed from foot to foot, teetering and running her paws all over her body, finally waving them into the air.

When the front-singer of the band started with the first verse, Judy mouthed the lyrics smiling wide. "Champagne glass, and a Merlot of Whine, with an old man staring at his broken time", Nick grinned and moved along, swinging his hips to the beat and eventually meeting with Judy. They grabbed each other's paws, dancing along. When the refrain started, the whole crowd started singing along, and Nick threw Judy – much to her surprise – slick into the air and caught her again. Gradually other couples joined them on the dance floor and they enjoyed their dance as if there was no tomorrow.

At the end of the song, Judy released herself from Nick and walked prancing backward, making a follow-me gesture with her paws. "If you don't know where, come follow me…" she mouthed along the lyrics. Nick made a show, doing some crazy stupid dance moves, finally following her off the stage with the last beats. The whole crowd applauded, some even wolf whistled them. Judy and Nick were both a little short of breath, and thankfully taking the drinks Clawhauser handed them over.

"Ohhh my Goooodness, you two are such a cuuuute couple!" Nick laughed at Judy's playfully frowning face but she could not hold her own laughter back for very long.

* * *

They partied far into the night, having the next two days off. When they finally arrived at Nick's apartment, they were more than just a bit tiddly and giggled all the way to his bed. For a few moments, they just stood there, holding each other's paws and glancing at each other, smiling satisfied. It was Judy who took the initiative, grabbing Nick by his tie and pulling him down so she could passionately kiss him. He replied her kiss and his paws stroked over her back and her ear line. However, Judy was not in the mood for some tame kissing and cuddling, impatiently she tore his shirt apart and dragging his jacket down. Nick groaned and opened the zipper of her dress on her back, inhaling her scent deeply. With a firm spring, Judy threw Nick back on his bed, immediately hopping on top of him.

"You are my trophy!" she smirked slyly, peeling her dress off in front of him.

* * *

Obviously unnoticed for this night Judy's phone showed 12 missed calls from her parents and 8 texts:

"Hi darling! How was your festival? XX Mom".

"Hey Jude, the dude! We couldn't get through to you, just wanted to hear about your day and how the competition went! Love, Dad & Mom".

"Hey Judy! We just saw a résumé of the competitions on ZNN. You won the third place, congratulations! Give us a call when you have a spare minute. Love Mom".

"Judy! Pick up your phone! Mom & Dad".

"Judy, we just saw you on an interview on ZNN! You have a boyfriend? Call us ASAP! Mom & Dad".

"You have to bring him by for a visit! Are you free this weekend? We are SO PROUD of you! Love Mom & Dad".

"Judy, we still could not get through to you! Are you still at the party? Give us a call! Love you! Mom & Dad".

"PS: Don't forget your visit! XX Mom".

* * *

 **Many thanks to Sean Dalglish for his review and proofreading this chapter! (Feb 2017)**


	4. 1x04 - Skyfall

**_This chapter is also available as an audio drama on YouTube!_**

 ** _youtu. be/zPWKeZuJwDw?list=PLIVs1D93vz38riF4nqo5uTmGpoU1yWeko_**

* * *

They were dancing, and partying, and drinking, and dancing, and… the music was getting louder and reminded her of something. But whatever, they are dancing, and undressing, and kissing, and… still this annoying song, are they playing it in a loop?

Judy's dream came to an abrupt end when she realized that she was not listening to a band but her parent's ringtone! She tried to jump out of the bed, but was still only half awake, so she landed on the floor with a muffled sound. Frantically she looked for her phone between the clothes scattered randomly on the floor. "Sweet cheese and crackers!" she mumbled. The bright daylight caused a piercing pain in her head – damn alcohol! – but eventually she found her ringing phone under the bed. Judy grimaced because of the bright display, breathed out deeply and accepted the call – Audio only.

"Oh my god, Judy! Are you okay? We've been trying to reach you since yesterday! We have been worried all night and eventually wanted to call the police!"

Judy grimaced again, the loud and fast voice of her mother was exactly the opposite of she wanted to hear in her current state. She sighed: "Hey, Mom. I'm okay, don't overdo it again".

"Oh Judy! You sound terrible! And what is with your camera? Are you really okay?"

"Yes, Mom. It was a long day yesterday and we were all partying until late at night. I was just woken up by your call. I promise, everything is all right".

"Oh, my dear! Of course, you were partying. We saw your interview on ZNN, congratulations for getting 3rd place! When do you two plan to come over?"

"Wha…?" Judy was reduced to silence, too much information this early in the morning. "What do you mean, when do we plan to come?" She sounded bemused, and that was so totally not her.

Her mother noticed immediately. "Are you sure you're okay, honey?" She asked worried and Judy sighed again.

"Yeah, but I'm not really awake yet. Could you please simply explain what you are talking about? I really need some coffee and a shower".

"Since when do you drink coffee?"

Damn it. "Mom. Please."

"Okay, okay. We saw your interview after your victory on ZNN, and the anchor man said you won the third place together with your boyfriend! And of course you have to introduce him to us! You said you have a free weekend, so you two have to drop by of course!"

Judy tried to ease down all this information, suddenly realizing that her parents meant Nick – without even knowing it! "Mom…"

"No excuses, dear! We have prepared a room for you two to sleepover and your siblings are coming over for afternoon tea and cake!"

Judy's ears dropped and all she could say was "Okay, but listen. About my friend…"

"No need for explanations! We are eager to meet you two this afternoon! Bye, dear, love you!"

"Mom!"– click.

Judy dropped her head against the bed frame, immediately regretting it, her headache getting even worse. When she lifted her head again, she saw Nick sitting upright on his bed, with the most shocked face she ever saw on him; even excelling the face he made the first time she hustled him. "You heard everything, I guess?" Nick just nodded speechless. "Well," Judy said. "You are the former Conmammal. Any idea of how to hustle us out of this?"

"Witness-Protection-Program?" Nick suggested lamely and collapsed upon himself.

"Not an option", Judy smiled mildly. "Do you have some light pain killers?" She asked. "I can't think straight with this headache".

Nick nodded and pointed to his desk. "Second drawer, and bring me some too, please".

Judy headed to the desk, pulled the drawer open, took two pills – one for her and one for Nick – and walked back to the bed. "I guess you will meet my parents today".

"I already met them, carrots", Nick replied and swallowed the pill grimacing.

"Not as my boyfriend".

"Oh... yeah... _that_ part. Does your father still have his fox shocker?"

"Come on, Nick. He did not shock you last time!"

"That was before he knew that I'm eating his carrot, carrots".

Judy swallowed up on her pill and coughed. "Nick!" she snorts with laughter while holding her paw in front of her mouth and blushed. Nick patted her back with a sly grin. "He will not only shock you if you say something like that!"

"Okay, no talking about vegetables then".

"That could be difficult, given the fact that my family are mainly farmers", She winked. "But I will refer to your offer at a later time. However, I am in need of a hot shower! Want to join me?"

"I'm unobtrusively following you, Judy!"

* * *

After sharing a very long, hot and steamy shower, it was nearly noon. They grabbed some clean clothes and left for some lunch at a fast food outlet. Sitting outside of the store in the sun, each eating some fries and Veggie Burgers, Nick was the first to speak again. "Okay, let me recap this. You really said during an interview yesterday that you won the race together with your boyfriend. Your parents, being some country bumpkins, nevertheless watched this interview on TV. They have no idea, that this mysterious boyfriend is your partner on the force, much less a fox, and invited us to their home, so you can introduce your boyfriend to them. Did I forget anything about it?"

"Nope, that's pretty much it. But in my defense, I did not mention you as a boyfriend during the interview! I said that I won with my partner and friend. The news station concentrated that into 'boyfriend'".

"But you meant boyfriend, didn't you?" Nick sounded a bit unconfident, much to Judy's surprise.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you always question me about that? Are you so insecure?"

"I do not want to call it insecure…" Nick hesitated slowly. "I just still don't know why I deserve someone like you by my side, carrots. You could have chosen anyone".

Judy blushed, but smiled at him. "No idea, maybe I'm just a masochist. But you are everything I am looking for. So, to answer your last question: Yes. Yes, I meant my boyfriend in that interview. Happy now?"

"Maybe the happiest fox alive, carrots", Nick winked.

Judy's headache was better by now and she was already planning their weekend trip in detail. "First we have to pack a few clothes together. Maybe one backpack is enough for both of us? Whatever, we could take the train at 14:22 in the afternoon and arrive at 16:09 in the afternoon in Bunnyburrow. From there we can take the bus, so we don't have to meet my parents until we finally arrive". She was already typing her arrival time into her smartphone and sending it to her parents. "With John and Joshua coming, too, we can discuss the boyfriend topic first with mom and dad in private. When they are eased in, we can tell a few siblings and then it will reach everyone fast enough on the grapevine".

"Woah, take a break for a moment there, carrots", Nick winked at her. However, his heartbeat told Judy a different story: He was nervous, even somewhat scarred.

"Nick?" She bent over and put her paw onto his. "If you don't want to meet my parents, we…"

"No! No, it's okay, carrots. It is all just happening so fast".

"Okay, we can take it down a gear", Judy smiled. "Or at least, I can try", She added with a wink.

* * *

The rest of the noon past in next to no time. Judy packed some clothes for herself and Nick into a big backpack, as well as a few small presents she bought over time for her smaller siblings. Nick was off into the city, ' _Getting a present for your parents, carrots. First impressions matter!_ ' – she didn't tell him that it was too late for a first impression, as it would not be their first meet-up. But Nick wasn't in his best shape today, more twitchy than Judy had ever seen him. So it was best to have him out of her way for an hour. Maybe a present really could break the ice. At least she hoped, their parents wouldn't make it too awkward. Nick arrived shortly after two o 'clock, Judy already waiting with the backpack outside his apartment. He carried a bag of the size of a really big book, but not as heavy it seemed.

"Last-minute, as always Officer Wilde!"

Nick smiled apologetically and he kissed Judy until their Zuber taxi arrived. Nick held the door open for Judy and hurried to get in it, with their bags, too. "To the Main Railway Station, please!" – Judy ordered the driver and turned around to face Nick. "What did you get?" Prying for his bag, but the only thing she could see was some gift-wrapping paper.

Nick put on his sly grin. "You can guess three times, carrots".

Judy rolled her eyes, "Really?"

"Really! Come on, we have some time to kill".

* * *

' _If it wasn't for Judy, I would never have the guts to make this visit_ ', Nick thought to himself while they were boarding their train and searching for their compartment. The train was mostly empty, most people were driving to Zootopia for the Diversity Festival and only departing again tomorrow. But Nick had a very valid reason for driving with this train up to Bunnyburrow, and that reason was now just sitting right beside him with a bugged facial expression.

"Come on, that was at least seven guesses! If it is not a book about farming…"

"Nope".

"…then I have no idea. Just spell it out for me, pretty please?" she made really big and pleading eyes, looking directly into Nicks. The fox had to gulp down the lump in his throat and sighed defeated.

"Okay, okay, but don't look at me like that, carrots!" Judy smirked at him and was expectant while Nick was digging his phone out of his pocket, probably searching for a photo. He handed her his phone with a photo of Judy, jumping into the air with her medal in one hand. "I printed this photo at a copy shop, and put it with my exemplar of our medal into a wooden frame. What do you think?"

Judy was speechless for once. That was a really deliberated gift. "But Nick. It is your medal, you earned it! You can have mine when we are back, okay?"

"No need to, carrots. I already have the best prize of all!" He leaned into her and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

Judy blushed and looked at the photo on the phone again. "This is a really some great idea, Nick. I bet they will love it!"

"Of course they will, it shows their sweetheart winning a contest!" Nick laughed and Judy joined in.

"Touché!"

Nick pulled out a deck of cards. "Freshly bought and still sealed, are you in for a few rounds of cards?"

* * *

The train arrived on time and they boarded the already waiting bus. "Are you terrified?" Judy asked him with a quiet voice. His heart was palpitating like a jack-hammer with every kilometer they neared her parents' home.

"I am not terrified!" Nick mumbled, twitching his paws. "Just a little… unsettled".

Judy put her paw on his and leaned against his shoulder. His heartbeat eased a bit and Nick breathed deeply. "Everything will be okay", Judy affirmed him, she drew his face to hers with her free paw and smiled lovingly. "For better or worse, I will be there for you. Always, Nick".

He returned her look. "I love you". It sounded more like the last words of a fey, but eventually he smiled.

"I love you, too". She reassured him, squeezing his paw lightly and giving him a nice and soft kiss on his snout. In secret, she hoped, it would not be as bad as Nick was thinking, but she was not too sure about it.

It was nearly half past four when they got off the bus and walked the rest of the way to the big house, that was sunk into a hill, and overgrown with grass. A few dozen younger rabbits were playing here and there all around the house. However, as soon as one of them saw Judy and called out her name, nearly all rabbits were up in arms, running to Judy, hugging her or hopping cheering around her. Nick carried their backpack and was mainly unnoticed. Alerted by the shouting and cheering, Stu and Bonnie Hopps soon appeared out of the house with a big, happy smile.

"Jude the Dude!" her father shouted and spread his arms wide. Judy freed herself from her siblings and hugged her father heartily.

Next was her mother "Oh, Judy, my dear! It's so great that you made it!"

Nick was lopping carefully to Judy's side, waiting for her to finish hugging her parents.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad! Good to see you, and this is…" she was pointing in Nicks direction. However, at that moment Stu Hopps' face lost a little of its friendliness, but shook hands with Nick.

"Nick Wilde, sure thing! We already met last weekend". Her father said with a friendly tone, but Nick believed he recognized some undertone within it. Nevertheless, he greeted him as friendly as he could, Bonnie Hopps also greeted him with a smile, however also less excited just like her husband.

"Come in, you two! Joshua's already arrived with his family". Judy's mother turned to Nick again. "He is one of the few older siblings of Judy, together with John and Jana", Nick smiled with a nod, but was still feeling queasy.

"Sorry, we only prepared one room. But we will prepare another one after having tea", Stu said to Nick. "The guest room is just along the corridor, the first room on the left side. You can place your stuff there before we sit down at the table".

"I will show him!" Judy said quickly and rushed past Nick, gesturing for him to follow her. When they arrived in the guest room she wanted to say something, but two really small rabbits ran into the room. When they saw Nick, they made a hard stop and looked slightly scared. Nick tried his best to make a tame face and Judy intervened at once.

"Hey, Amie, Annabelle! This is Nick, my best friend and partner at work! He is really nice", she squatted before them and smiled. Amie was first to jumped towards the astonished Nick and hugged his leg.

"Hello Nick! I'm Amie!" Nick patted her head and smiled softly.

"Hi Amie, my dear". Annabelle was not as brisk but quickly got jealous when her sister was patted, so she rushed to hug Nicks other leg and shouted.

"And I am Annabelle!"

Nick laughed lightly and also patted her on her head. "Nice to meet you, too, Annabelle".

Judy was moonily watching her youngest siblings hugging the at least ten times her size fox, and Nick trying to look as harmless as he could. ' _Two done, 273 to go_ ' she thought.

After a while they sat at the big table in the dining room: Nick, Judy, Bonnie, Stu, Joshua with his wife and 17 kits and 44 of Judy's siblings. After each was served some cake pie – ' _Blueberry!_ ' Nick exclaimed exited to Judy who giggled nervous – they started to eat. After having a few bites Bonnie asked:

"So, you two teamed up for the sport competition Judy told us about?" her voice was a little shaky, but she sipped on her tea immediately.

Nick stayed quiet, looking at Judy. She returned his look, then turned to her mother. "Yes, the kayak-running-biathlon is a two-person-team competition, and getting the third place was really amazing, the rivalry was really strong!" – silence again. Nick thought about giving Judy's parents their gift, fitting the topping right now.

But at that moment Stu spoke out. "You must forgive us for our rude behavior, Mister Wilde". Her father was now speaking with a friendly tone. "But when we told Judy to visit us, we expected her to bring her boyfriend. Not her, you know partner on the force".

"Dad!" Judy cut him off, and Bonnie was also feeling queasy, plucking her husband's sleeve to gain his attention.

"What? I only wanted to tell him, we just … what?" He turned to his wife who mumbled something but Judy was at it again.

"You asked to bring my boyfriend, so what is the matter?"

"Excuse me?" it was the first time Joshua said something, but this caused Judy to turn to him now.

"Yes, Nick is my partner on the force. But yes, he is also my boyfriend! We lov…"

"He is what!?" – her father almost shouted.

"How dare you!" Joshua's voice was loud and angered. "This beast is your…"

He couldn't finish his sentence when Bonnie said "Joshua, please!"

"Close shot, Bon, at least he is a fox!"

"Dad!"

"Judy, dear…"

"Mom!"

"Judy!"

"Pred-Chaser!" the last word came from Joshua.

"Douchebag!" Judy shouted.

"Joshua!" Bonnie Hopps said in a sharp tone.

"Judith Laverne Hopps! As long as you are in my house…" her father shouted but Judy interrupted him again.

"What about Joshua? We are talking about my partner and boyfriend, not some foreigner!" Nick slowly stood up during the fierce crosstalk and excused himself with some polite words, still showing a smile on his snout. However, Judy knew he was deeply injured and offended and even his best deadpan was starting to crumble by now.

* * *

 ** _Judy's vantage point_**

She wanted to grab Nicks paw when he walked past her, but it just slipped from her hands, and Nick vanished out of the front door. Her first instinct was to run after him, but she was angry. Angry enough to let out a rant against her father and especially her older brother Joshua. Both were replying something but she didn't stop her ranting until a big and soft paw was put on her shoulder. Judy turned her head to continue her bluster but the strict and benignant face of her mother made her become silent.

"Judith!" Bonnie said assertively. "I realize you are probably a bit angry".

"A bit angry?!"

"Judith! Your younger siblings are listening, please!" Maybe it was her steady and still affectionate voice that made Judy quieten. In addition, her mother was right; a few dozen agitated and bewildered faces of little bunnies were staring at Judy right now.

"I am sorry, mum", She said, struggling to keep her voice quiet. "But I never would have guessed I had such bigoted siblings!" Judy was looking at Joshua, who simmered with rage.

"Judith Laverne Hopps!" Stu said her full name the second time within minutes.

"Or a father, embittered by the prejudice of foxes!"

"Judith, please", Bonnie tried to conciliate again.

"And even you, mom! I trusted that you would understand this, since you partner with Gideon Grey!"

"But that doesn't mean we have a threesome with him in our corn fields!" Stu blurted out angrily, but immediately regretted it.

"Stu!" / "Dad!" His wife, Judy and Joshua shouted as one. The old rabbit stood up, throwing his napkin down onto his plate and left the room with large and angry steps.

"Judith…" her mother turned to her again with a pleading look on her face.

"I love him mom!" Judy blurted and responded her look tenaciously.

"But…"

"No ' _but_ 's! I'm really happy together with him, how can you not see this?" Her mother's shoulders sank and Judy broke away from her, trying to run after Nick. She was just a few steps in front of the house when Joshua's voice stopped her.

"Are you totally insane, Jude?" His voice was calm but full of anger. Judy turned around with a deadly look.

"I'm feeling better than ever, nice of you to ask!" her voice was overturning.

"He is a damn fox!"

"He is a fox, a police officer and my boyfriend! And his name is Nick!"

"After all that you have experienced in your childhood, you still come to a fox's defense? He rigged you quite good after all!"

In Judy's mind, no further words were enough for this argument, and with a strong leap she was right beside Joshua and punched him hard into his side. Joshua repaid her by kicking against her legs and shortly after they were scrapping. Bonnie Hopps was standing helpless beside them and tried to calm them down, with no effort. When Joshua punched Judy into her stomach, she fell backward against a wooden cart with some straw and boxes with fruits and vegetables their parents had brought back from the market. Judy picked herself up, ran up to Joshua, and jumped right into his side.

"Judy! Joshua! Please stop!" Bonnie was pleading again, but it was Stu's loud voice, full of panic, which ended their fight abruptly.

"Amie!", followed by an even louder bang of wood and metal shivering.

* * *

 ** _Stu's vantage point_**

He slammed the backdoor shut when he left the house. Stu had let himself go, something very atypical of him, and he was annoyed about it. "How could she! Not only was she not going with a rabbit, but with a fox!" he cursed to himself. Yes, they collaborated with Gideon. However, this was business, and a profitable one. Nevertheless, he counted the cakes and the money twice when trading with the fox. Stu was raised and educated, that foxes are mammals you cannot count on. "And yet so much time has passed since then!" But his cutie pie, together with a fox? Maybe even rotting…? Stu smacked his head. "Oh god, don't even think about it, Stu!" he said to himself.

Over time, his feet had driven him towards the near carrot fields. Most of his kits were still playing and romping around and he sighed. It had to be this big far away city. All of his other kits who were old enough were filling his shoes on farming. He had overwritten quite a good part of his land to his oldest sons, and his oldest daughters married all well-heeled rabbits out of Bunnyburrow. The only one who left her hometown was Judy, becoming a police officer and all that in Zootopia. And what happened to her? Judy was always his favorite daughter and it was a big disappointment when she left a year and a half ago. But now she was even flirting with a fox from the city! This was all too much for him now.

Stu Hopps heard the laugher of one of his youngest ones, Amie. He smiled softly and turned around to look for her, but froze at once.

"Amie! Get away from that fox!" he shouted and made a gesture as if he wanted to wag away a wasp. The little bunny stood in front of Nick and looked bemused at her father up the hill. Stu made another distinct gesture and Amie let her head sank. She did something wrong, that much was clear to her, but she did not know what. Nick on the other hand figured it out immediately. He got up to his feet, waved smiling a goodbye to Amie and toddled off. Stu started to walk down the hill to get to Amie who still was standing there, like a little lost girl. It was a loud rumbling that caught Stu's attention. He casted about for the source of the noises getting louder, and finally he saw his big wooden cart bolting down the other side of the hill, right in Amie's direction. He started to run, knowing that he would never reach his child in time. His voice was filled with a deadly terror when he screamed her name.

"Amie!"

Seconds later the cart collided checkless with the tree, in front of which Amie stood moments ago.

* * *

 ** _Nick's vantage point_**

He couldn't bear the yelling any longer. With a resigned shrug, he stood up from the table. "I'm sorry for the discomfort; I'm going for a walk", Nick mumbled. Judy reached out for him – her touch flashed through his body – but he did not hold her paw. His whole body was stressed to keep a cool face, but inwardly he broke into pieces. This whole argument was about him; it was his fault. Fighting against prejudice in the city was different, he admitted. There were always Mammals calling him names, and in the past, they were often right. He was a Conmammal back then. Since he was an Officer with the ZPD he was treated differently, but it never died down completely. He coped with it. But this guilt he felt was not about him being treated badly, but he felt bad because of Judy. With all she had to bear because of him, it was a miracle to him that she still returned his love. However, this time it was her family, and Nick would draw the line at exactly this point. Maybe he was worth all the trouble he caused for Judy until now. But he definitely did not want to be the reason she would be at odds with her family! She would be eventually. Well, of course, she would – she is Judy Hopps, first rabbit officer of the ZPD! However, Nick could never demand this from her.

He reached a few trees near the road where the bus stop was. Perhaps he should just take the next bus. Weak-minded he stood there, looking over the countless fields and hills in front of him; when he sensed a light twitching on his tail. He turned around and in front of him stood one of those little bunnies he met first in the house, and the only ones that somewhat welcomed him. He tossed his sad face away and smiled softly, hunkering down.

"Hi, you are Anabelle or Amie, right?"

"I am Amie!" the little rabbit smiled brightly and Nick returned her smile. "You have a really big and fluffy tail, Nicky!" she giggled. Nick had to smile again. This small and pure bunny made him forget about the argument for a short moment.

"Oh, really? How does that grab you?" He winked and tossed his tail around him to nudge Annie with it. The kit laughed and jumped.

"You are funny!" she determined, and with a short jump, she was at Nicks legs and hugged him. Nick laughed, patted her head and enlaced her with his tail playfully. "Can we play tag together, Nicky?" She pleaded with big round eyes. The foxed smiled benignly but then sighed.

"I don't think that your parents would like that idea, Amie".

"Why not? I am always playing tag with my siblings!"

"Yeah…" Nick rubbed with his hand behind his head. "But I don't think they like me all too much".

"But Judy likes you?" This little bunny was putting him on the spot.

"Yes, I think so".

"Then I like you, too!" she declared, and her determined and happy grin definitely reminded Nick of Judy.

"Amie! Get away from that fox!" her father shouted from up the hill to them. Nick's shoulders and ears dropped and the little bunny was looking perplexed at her father. Stu pointed right at his feet, directing Annie to get to him immediately.

Nick waved goodbye to Amie: "Sorry, my little princess, I have to go now. Go to your dad, okay?" And with this words he slowly walked away in the direction of the bus stop behind a curve.

Nick had finally decided to drive back to the station and then back to Zootopia with the next train. Judy would understand. When she came back tomorrow, he would talk to her and break up with her. He had made a lot of mistakes in his life, coming to Bunnyburrow being his latest, but he would not take the blame for Judy being at odds with her family. This sacrifice was just too big. He sat down at the bus stop, when he heard some loud rumbling. There was some shouting, too. Somewhat concerned he sprung up and rushed around the corner of the street. Shocked, he realized a big wagon has gone rampant and was racing up to the trees he and Amie were standing at only a minute ago. Without thinking about it any further he ran in that direction as fast as he could.

"Amie!" Stu Hopps was screaming with deadly terror in his voice. Nick saw the little, sweet bunny still standing where he left her, the wagon only a dozen meters away. His inner fox senses wanted him to hesitate, but every cop-sense was fighting against it. He ran even faster. With a last leap, he pushed the startled bunny aside. ' _Oh god, thank you!_ ' he thought.

A dull impact made his whole body spin around and get crushed between the tree and the wagon. It didn't even hurt. Nick saw a few leaves falling down from the tree onto his face. The last image he saw was that of a lovely bunny. "Judy…" Then everything went black.

* * *

 _ **Many thanks to Sean Dalglish for his review and proofreading this chapter! (Feb 2017)**_


	5. 1x05 - Interlude

_**This chapter is also available as an audio drama on YouTube!**_

 ** _youtu. be/ryXRwoTEUBY?list=PLIVs1D93vz38riF4nqo5uTmGpoU1yWeko_**

* * *

Stu Hopps was the first at the scene of accident, closely followed by Judy. Joshua was limping but kept up with Bonnie Hopps, both chasing after Judy down the hill. It all happened within a few seconds and the scene was a mess. With infinite ease Stu lunged at Amie, who was lying in the midst of the wagons debris. Judy breathed a sigh of relief when she captured the situation and Amie was in good health, albeit scared. Joshua and Bonnie were joining Stu and Bonnie took Amie in her arms, hugging her firm to herself.

Stu blurted to Judy: "Are you satisfied now? Your escapades nearly …. nearly … injured your little sister!"

Judy was getting furious all over again. "You are really going to blame me for this?! Joshua…"

"At least I have still my sanity and not sharing the bed with a fox!"

"Guys…" Bonnie tried to settle the situation again but was simply ignored.

"Oh, put a cork in it, Josh!"

"Judith! That's the last straw!" her father was raising his voice again. "No strong language on my property!"

Judy snorted an evil laugh that made all the others flinch. Finally, Bonnie mumbled something and started to walk back to the house, Amie in her arms.

"You have absolute no right to call us off about strong language after all", Judy spitted the words. She was really angry about her brother and her parents, especially her father. They don't even know Nick and prejudged him the second they learned they were in love.

Eventually the small and quiet voice of Amie, already a few meters away with her mother, got her best attention: "I am okay, mom. But what about Nicky? He might have a boo-boo".

Her father and brother were still chatting to her about something, but Judy didn't listen anymore. Within a second she sprinted beside her mother. "What is it with Nicky, Amie?"

"He made a funny but scary noise".

Her mother intervened "She is just somewhat bewildered, don't listen…"

Judy quietened her mother with an authoritarian gesture and talked with certainty but calmly to Amie. "What noise did he make? Did he say something to you?"

"No, he made it when he poked me".

Stu was starting to rant again. "You hear that? He pushed your sister around and scared her!"

"Dad! That's enough!" Judy was twitchy and suddenly had a bad feeling. "Did Nicky annoy you, Amie?" Judy asked, again calm.

Her sister shook her head. "No, he was funny! But then pa was angry with me. I don't know why".

"The fox…!" Stu began, but one look from Judy and he became silent at once.

Judy was all in cop-mode now. There was an accident, some witnesses and nervous participants. Her job was to ease the situation and get a witness report from a small and probably scared kit. "What happened then after pa was got angry?" Judy talked soothingly to Amie, who was now sitting on Bonnies shoulder.

"There was this loud noise, I was scared. And then Nicky poked me and I fell onto the grass where pa picked me up right after", Amie reported with pride, sensing that she was telling something very important to her big sister. It took Judy a few seconds until all the gears in her brain were latching in the right place. Her ears dropped at once and the thought horrified her. 'Nick'.

An icy claw reached for her heart the very second she turned around and rushed back to the tree where the wagon crashed, knocking Joshua and her dad over in the process. Judy scanned the bigger debris around the tree until she found a red-brown bushy tail beneath some trays. She yelped and fall to her knees, pushing the trays away. Nick was in a bad condition. There was blood seeping from a wound at his head and stomach, one arm distorted in a morbid direction.

"Cheese and crackers! Nick! Please…" her voice cracked and she took his paw and stroked his cheek but the fox didn't react. Judy tried to concentrate her sense of hearing, but she could not listen to his heartbeat. Her own sobbing and her palpitating heart overlapped everything else.

"He's finally dead?" it was Joshua's voice again from behind, but Judy did not listen to him. Her mother stood there in shock, masking Amie's eyes, and her dad was kneeling down beside Judy.

"Is he…?" he started and wanted to feel Nick's pulse at his neck, but Judy beat him nearly shouting.

"Don't! Touch! Him!" Judy leaned protectively above him and sobbed helplessly. "Call Doctor Greenwood! Now!" she cried above her shoulder to no one special, then stroked Nick's face softly. "Nick! Hang in there! Don't leave me this way, you dumb fox".

* * *

Maybe it was hours or just minutes, Judy could not tell. Her right paw was pressed against the bleeding on Nick's stomach to try and stop it. She had managed to lay his head onto her thighs, her other paw stroking his face continuously. The rabbit managed to feel his pulse, it was weak and slow. She didn't move or say anything when an older rabbit with black fur and a bit bag knelt opposite against her. Doctor Greenwood had been the family doctor since Judy could remember and the only one right now she would trust to examine Nick. With a gentle but distinct gesture, he took Judy's paw from the abdominal wound. Her fur was soaked with Nick's blood and when she wiped her tears away, her paw left a creepy trail of blood across her face.

"He has lost quite some blood. Why did nobody mention on the phone he is badly injured?" Doctor Greenwood asked angrily with a look of reproach to Bonnie and Stu, who were standing a few meters away. Without waiting for an answer, he pushed a button on his headset, connected to the radio on his belt-mount.

"Doctor on call, requesting an emergency ambulance to the Hopps' Farm for a fox, not addressable, bleeding abdominally and from head wounds and probably has several fractures. Over". Then, looking to Judy. "Are you okay?" She just nodded marginally. The old rabbit pulled quite a lot of pads and gauze bandages from his bag, squeezing them onto Nick's abdominal wound. "Press your paws onto this! Don't hesitate, you have to apply quite some pressure to the wound so the bleeding will stop". Judy sobbed quietly and did as she was told automatically. Greenwood nodded approvingly and examined Nick's other wounds. "You are Judy Hopps, right?" he asked, to keep her busy and from falling into a shock state. She nodded again. The doctor applied a compression bandage to Nick's head that was still resting on Judy's legs. "Can you tell me his name?"

"N…Nick. Nicholas W... Wilde…" she sniveled quietly. In the distance, siren could be heard.

Doctor Greenwood displaced her grip on the abdominal wound. "You know him?"

"My part… partner... police... and boy… boyfriend…" Judy sobbed drenched in tears, holding Nick's face with her paws.

The doctor wanted to answer something, but at that moment the ambulance arrived and stopped with screeching tires. Two paramedics, both deer, jumped out of the car, got a stretcher from the trunk and hurried to Judy, Nick and Greenwood. With expert movements, they lifted Nick onto the stretcher, fixing him with belts. Judy hovered over him the whole time. Even when the old rabbit tried to hold her back when the deer tried to carry Nick to the ambulance, she did not stir from the spot.

"Judy. Judy, listen, please". He held her at her shoulders and turned her towards him. "Judy Hopps!" She finally managed to dispense her sight from Nick and looked at Doctor Greenwood with red, tearstained eyes. The blood smears on her face giving her an alarming appearance. "I have to drive with Nick, there is not enough room in the car for you, too, I am really sorry". He shook her again as she wanted to cut loose from his grip. "Judy! Listen, please. There is nothing you can do right now, and I am worried that you are going to fall into shock".

He waved to her parents, who were still standing a few meters away in silence. Bonnie walked towards him, giving Stu a gesture to keep back with a strange look on her face. Doctor Greenwood was not sure what exactly happened, but Judy talking about his patient as a boyfriend and the current reservation of her parents gave him an idea.

"Mrs. Hopps, would you please help Judy to clean-up?" And when Judy wanted to cut loose again, he added: "I want to see her right afterwards in the hospital for a complete check-up". Bonnie nodded. Judy's mother wanted to say that Judy was not involved in the accident, but the determined look on Greenwood's face made it clear that there was no room for discussion. Eventually it was only a pretense, but this was not the right time and place to talk about Judy's relationship. The Doctor nodded, too, and rushed into the waiting ambulance. The siren howled again and they disappeared within seconds.

Bonnie Hopps put a paw on Judy's shoulder, the latter still looking stock-still on her blood-soaked paws. Judy shook her mothers' paw off.

"My dear…" her mother started, but Judy walked off to their house.

"Judy…" her father started when she passed him, but she just ignored him.

It hurt her chest to be so harsh to her parents, but right now she wasn't able to talk to them about what happened or about Nick. What hurt even more than ignoring her parents was the thought of Nick now. She saw her surroundings through a mist. A few of her siblings were approaching her, but froze when they saw her bloodied fur. It did not matter to her. She rushed through the front door, past Joshua and his family, went into the guest room and grabbed her and Nick's backpack. There was also a full-length mirror right beside the door; Judy stared at it and her mirror image, then it all came crashing down about her ears. She fell onto her knees, burying her face into her paws and weeping untenably.

* * *

In this state, Evelin found her a short time later. She was about a year younger than her older sister, but resembled the same fur and eye color. Evelin just had a few dark spots in and around her ears.

"Hey, sis", she squatted beside Judy, putting her arm around her. Nick's partner turned to Evelin and hugged her. "There, there. Let it go, Juju…" she patted her back and held her sister firmly. In the meantime, Bonnie stood in the doorframe and watched them in silence. Evelin gestured for her to leave them alone with an impatient look; Bonnie sighed but left them alone. After a while Judy stopped weeping and sobbed quietly.

"Thanks, Eve. It was … it was all too …"

"Shh… it is okay", Evelin interrupted her and stroked along her ears and head.

"I have … go … to the hospital …" Judy sobbed and wiped her arm over her face.

"First we have to clean you up. You look like you were injured, too, Juju". Evelin straightened up, taking Judy's paw and firmly pulled her up. "Come on, I will help you…"

Judy did not say anything but let Evelin take her with her. She followed her into a bathroom and nearly started to cry again as she saw her mirror image.

"Hey…" Evelin said softly and stood between the mirror and Judy. "Everything will be fine, including your boyfriend. What is his name again?" she asked and conducted Judy to the edge of the bathtub.

"Nick". Judy said worn out and sat down on the edge.

Her sister let hot water run into the sink, took a sponge from the shelf and soaked it in the water. "Come on, give me your paws" Unopposed Judy obeyed and Evelin started to rub some soap with hot water into her fur. The blood had already dried and it took a while to clean her paws and arms up. Then Evelin started to clean her sisters face and ears. "How long have you two been dating?" she asked with a smile to distract her older sister somewhat.

"Since … a week ago… it is serious. But… we have been close… friends for quite … a while". Judy sounded more calm now, but her voice was dull and erratic.

"I think he is cute", Evelin winked and started to scrub Judy dry with a towel. "And you two make a sweet couple. Just give Mom and Dad some time".

"Mhmhh…" Judy mumbled through the towel.

When Evelin finished, she stroked Judy's cheek, still smiling. Her big sister was now settled and finally looked alive again with her clean fur. "Thanks, Eve…" Judy spoke quietly but coherently again. "I have to go now to the…"

Evelin interrupted her. "I will drive you to the hospital with my scooter, okay sis? This is much faster, and more safe in your current state. Do you need to take anything with you?" She shook hands with Judy, who hopped from the bathtub's edge.

"Thanks again, Eve… for everything". Judy hugged her sister firmly and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"For you always, Juju", Evelin smiled and went ahead.

* * *

Evelin set Judy down in the Hospital of Bunnyburrow, handing her the backpack. "Are you sure you are okay? I can go in with you, sis".

Judy shook her head and gave her younger sister a quick hug. "Thank you, you already did enough Eve. I cannot ask any more of you".

"Okay, but I will come back again in a few hours to look after you two. In the meantime, I will have a talk with Mom and Dad. Oh… and Josh – just ignore him, he always was a fuddy-duddy dork". Evelin winked and Judy waved her a short goodbye, then rushed through the revolving door into the clinic.

* * *

"No, you don't listen! My partner was hospitalized after an accident about an hour ago! His name is Nicholas Wilde! And I want to see him, now!" Judy's fatigue was gone and replaced by anger.

"I'm afraid, Miss I am not allowed to give out patient data, and as you are clearly not a family member, I really cannot help you. Would you please ease off now, or I'll have to call security".

Judy was at the end of her tether and was now bellowing: "My name is Officer Judy Hopps, I am a member of the Zootopia Police Department, just like Officer Wilde, my partner!"

"Ma'am, could you identify yourself with your badge and ID card?" It was a ram in a security uniform, standing right behind her.

"Oh, of course. When my partner was bleeding to death all I could think of while hurrying here was taking my badge". Judy answered with dripping sarcasm, Nick would be proud of her. 'Nick!' "Just call Doctor Greenwood! He knows me and will vouch for me! Or I will search through the whole hospital on my own!"

"Please calm down, Officer Hobes".

"Hopps!"

"Whatever, you are not a family member and cannot identify yourself. Please leave, peacefully".

"Sweet cheese and crackers…" Judy cursed and wanted to walk past the ram, who caught her at her shoulder. That was really too much for the rabbit and with a brisk move she ducked down, shooing around the security guard and jumped right into his back with her hind legs. That took the ram totally flatfooted and off his feet.

"Miss Hopps…!" Doctor Greenwood was coming with quick steps down the hall. Judy looked up in his direction and let the ram go, whose arm she was bending behind his back.

"Doctor Greenwood! Finally! How is Nick?" Judy's voice was relieved and pleading. "Is he okay?"

The medic made a pacifying gesture to the ram, who was picking himself up, chuntering something and walking away. Then the old rabbit turned to the nurse at the reception. "We just got the medical file of Mister Wilde transmitted by the Zootopia-Plainsboro Hospital. I just entered his hospitalizing data into the system. Miss Hopps is recorded as his Emergency Contact, please issue her an unlimited visitor pass for life partners". He winked to Judy with a quick smile while the nurse entered the data and printed a badge for Judy.

"Thank you for your support, Doctor Greenwood", Judy said while they both walked down an aisle to the ICU. "Although it's a pity you had to lie for me. Such churlishness is not my normal behavior, you know".

"It is okay, Judy. I really understand that you are upset. But I haven't lied". The medic smiled softly when he noticed Judy's inquiring look. "You really are his recorded emergency contact. You did not know that? Perhaps I pushed too hard when saying you two are life partners".

"No…" was everything Judy could say. They had to specify an emergency contact when joining the force; and Judy had specified her parents, of course. She had no idea that Nick chose her. After a few more steps, she asked again. "How is Nick?" she repeated her first question to him.

"We had to perform surgery to stop the abdominal bleeding. We also had to splint his right leg and left arm. He may also have a concussion. We cannot say as he has not yet woken up from the anesthesia". Doctor Greenwood put a paw on a door handle and stopped. "Are you prepared? It looks much worse than it really is, but I think he will recover completely".

Judy nodded slowly and gulped. The old rabbit opened the door and they both stepped in. She covered her mouth with a paw when she saw Nick. He lay in an oversized hospital bed, connected to a heart monitor and an infusion pump; around his head was a big bandage. The heart monitor was beeping slowly and frequently, and this time Judy could also hear his heartbeat at the same time with her ears. She hurried to his side and embraced his paw in hers.

"I will give you some time alone and will come back in about an hour for some further examinations". Doctor Greenwood said quietly and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Judy sat beside Nicks bed, stroking his paw and cheek for the whole day. He did not wake up, but was in a stable condition. A nurse tried to convince Judy a few times to go home and have some rest, but she refused to leave every time. It was after midnight; the bunny had rested her head against Nick's body, her arms carefully embracing his torso. She dozed off from time to time, the slow heartbeat of the fox was soothing to her, thinking about the last few hours.

Evelin brought her some fresh fruits from the farm earlier that day, and a bouquet of self-picked flowers for Nick; together with a hand drawn card from Amie, showing a stick figure fox and a lot of bunnies around him. In her scrawly handwriting she wrote 'Get well soon, Nicky!' with a heart. Evelin also brought her a message from her parents, but Judy refused to hear it. 'Not yet. It is too early and I am too angry; Nick needs my full attention right now', she said to her younger sibling. Evelin understood and did not pile on the pressure.

'Why has he not woken up yet? The anesthesia should have worren quite some time ago!' Judy had asked Doctor Greenwood a few hours ago on his late visit. He explained to her that the wounds could be tricky and they did not want to wake him up with drugs so his body could recover. Being patient had to be the only thing that Judy was really bad at.

Chief Bogo had called her, alarmed by the request of Nick's medical records. All requests about active ZPD officers were automatically reported to the department. Judy explained that an accident happened, leaving out the argument with her family. She also took a few days off, making it clear that she could not leave Nick alone in Bunnyburrow and his state was not stable enough for transportation to Zootopia right now. Bogo made her promise to give him an update as soon as possible and forwarded the best wishes of all her colleagues for a swift recovery.

Finally, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, Judy was overpowered by exhaustion: She crawled into the bed beside Nick, putting his non-fractured arm around her body and her own arm around his chest. It was good to feel Nick's warm body beside hers and after she kissed him on his cheek, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 ** _Many thanks to Sean Dalglish for his review and proofreading this chapter! (Mar 2017)_**


	6. 1x06 - Pride & Prejudice & Rabbits

**This chapter is also available as an audio drama on YouTube!**  
 **youtu. be/MIpP7dPbeMM?list=PLIVs1D93vz38riF4nqo5uTmGpoU1yWeko**

* * *

Judy wakes up when the nurse of the morning shift walks into the Nicks' room. The look of the young sheep was friendly, but also somewhat dispraising when she sees the rabbit in Nicks' bed.

"Good morning, Miss Hopps. Did the pat… I mean Mister Wilde woke up, yet?" she notes some data from the monitors into a patient file, then turns around to Judy who has climbed out of the bed and onto the chair again.

"Not that I know of, I am sorry." Judy answers a bit tire and sad.

"This is nothing uncommon, Miss Hopps. Just be patient, the doctor in charge will be here in about an hour."

"Okay. Can you tell me what time it is?"

"Its seven minutes past six." The nurse gave her a short smile, then left the room quietly.

Judy looks concerned to Nick, stroking gently his cheek. Then her eyes travelled over the rest of the room. There are no windows; except from the monitors and various medical emergency devices, only a small table is in the corner of the room. On it is a glass with water and the flowers Evelin brought yesterday. Under the table their common bag is laying. The corresponding plastic chair for the table took Judy beside Nicks' bed, now sitting on it. Opposite the table is a small basin, a mirror, a soap and a germicide dispenser. The heart monitor beeps quiet but frequent, the transfusion still dripping every few seconds. On the whole, the room was just as clinical and sterile as Judy would has imagined a hospital room.

"Hey, Nick." She turned to the fox again, encloses his paw in hers and speaking quietly with a soft voice. "I do not know if you can hear me, but I once read about patients in a coma, that they can recognize familiar voices. I just want you to know, that I am here; and that I will not leave your side. So better you don't try to steal away to where I cannot follow you." Judy sighs, stroking with her thumb over the back of his paw. "Amie had drawn you a cute picture. Oh, and she had picked some flowers for you. I put them into a glass with water; hopefully you are not allergic to them." She smiled lightly. "Evelin thinks you are cute. She is one of my younger sisters and a really close friend. I think you will like her, she is very similar to me, you know? But don't get any naughty thoughts, I keep an eye on you!"

Rubbing with her muzzle over the back of his hand, Judy buries her nose into Nicks' fur. "Bogo said you can take a day or two off tomorrow, until you are strong enough for your cheeky comments again during his morning briefing." She snickers quietly. "Joking aside, Bogo and the rest of the precinct are worried, too. And I should message their best wishes for you. I even took some leave days. Oh, and Clawhauser said he will send you a gift basket; hopefully not only donuts, or you two will soon share the same dress size."

A single tear runs from Judy's eye over her cheek. "I am so sorry, Nick. It is all my fault. It was me who caused the wagon to go rampage! And never should I have persuaded you to visit my parents out of the blue so soon. And I should not have given this stupid interview. And it was also my idea to participate for this competition in the first place. When we would have done regular patrol on this day, nothing of this would have happened! Please forgive me, Nick. I am just a stupid bunny. But I am your stupid bunny, so please forgive me and wake up." Judy started to weep again, her muzzle pushed into the blanket covering Nick.

Doctor Greenwood stands in the doorframe and clears his throat. Judy snuffles and turns her head to him. "Oh. Doctor Greenwood. I didn't notice you."

"It is okay, Judy. I hope you have slept for a while?" He walked to the other side of the bed, checking first Nicks medical journal, then listens to his heartbeat with a stethoscope.

"Two hours, maybe three. I am accustomed to it."

"Just like me; medical staffs' and police officers' schedule is very similar I bet. But neither of us should push it too hard." He put his stethoscope down and notes some data to the journal. Then he reached for the bandage on Nicks' head, but hesitates. "I will have to take a look at his wounds, change the bandages, and so forth. Maybe you want to go to the cafeteria as long as it takes."

Judy shakes her head and leans back on her chair, but still holding Nicks paw with hers. "If it is okay with you, I would like to stay."

The doctor thinks for a moment, then nods and continued to unwind the bandage around Nicks' head. He finishes the moment when the same nurse from an hour ago enters the room with a tablet, containing gauze bandages, a dark unction, a bottle with tincture, pads and other medical accessories. "Excuse me, Miss Hopps. But I need to get to your side of the bed to assist."

Judy nods, slips from the chair, giving Nicks' paw a last rub with her chin and walks slowly to the table. She bends forward and searched the backpack for a fresh shirt. The doctor and the nurse were busy, so Judy quickly changes her shirt, then walked to the sink. She splashes some cold water into her face, drying herself with some paper towels. Then she walked back to the foot of the bed, watching Doctor Greenhouse currently swabbing Nicks' abdominal wound with the tincture and pads.

"How is he?" she asks nervously, hardly able to take a look.

"The wound looks good, no inflammation so far and it started to heal already. The same for his head wound." Latter was already bandaged with new gaze.

"But why does he not wake up then?" Judy's voice was half pleading, half nervous.

"As I told you yesterday, head wounds can be tricky. At the moment his body needs every bit of energy for recovery, and staying unconscious aids it." He smiled in her direction. "But you can still talk to him, this will not do any harm. And maybe he even senses you being nearby. You just have to be patient a little more." The nurse hands him some gaze and bandages, then Doctor Greenwood applies them and looks satisfied. "We will change this again this evening. And give him a new transfusion at …" he looks on his pocket watch. "… 8 o'clock."

The nurse makes some notes, then nods and leaves the room. Judy walked to the chair again and sits down, immediately reaching for Nicks' paw again. "Thank you, Doctor Greenwood."

"Don't mention it, Judy. I am your families doctor since at least 55 years. And of course I will spend special attention to your partner, too." The old rabbit smiles mildly.

"I would wish, my parents would see Nick as part of the family, too." Judy's look was slightly angry, but also worried and sad; it was really difficult to account for a specific emotion in her face right now, and even Judy is not sure what she is feeling about the situation exactly. For the last 12 hours she distracted herself from the previous argument, Nick was her current top-priority.

Doctor Greenwood looks enquiring to Judy, not sure if he should ask further questions. "I did not ask about the accident in the first place yesterday. And it can wait until Nick is awaken. But I have to fill an accident report for requesting his medical records. Your parents did not…?" he stopped discretely.

"What? No, no they did no harm to him. Physically that is." When the old rabbit did not respond, Judy added inertly: "They threw a tantrum the moment they realized Nick and I are not only partners on the force, but also dating. One of my litter-brothers lost it completely. And we had a really bad argument." Her look goes to Nick and Judy strokes with her free paw over his cheek. "Nick left the house, and shortly after the accident with the wagon happened. I am not totally sure what happened exactly, but as far as I could reconstruct he prevented that this wagon overrun one of my youngest sisters."

"Then he is a real hero, my dear! You can be proud of him."

"I am!" Judy smiled. "And I am really overjoyed that Amie was not injured! But …" Judy hesitates.

"What is it Judy? Something is agonizing you."

"It is all my fault!" she started crying again. "I set off the wagon by accident during a punch-up with my brother. I not only nearly injured my sibling, but I am responsible for… for … "she made a gesture to Nick, but could not say it loud.

"Oh my dear. Judy…" Doctor Greenwood quickly walks around the bed and put his arm around Judy's shoulders. "It only was an accident, and Nick will recover completely, I am sure. Don't burden with the fault for everything. You are overthinking this." He hands her a handkerchief and pats her back while she wipes her tears away.

"Thanks..."

"It is okay. But I have to go now, there are more patients waiting for my ward round. I will drop over again at noon." He takes a turn to walk to the door, then speaks again. "And Miss Hopps, you have to eat something for breakfast. Medical order." He winks, then leave the room.

* * *

Judy sat by Nicks' bed the whole forenoon and did not leave it for a minute. She was not really hungry and only eat an apple she had put in the backpack. Time was creeping; the nurse came in a few times, checking some data on the monitors, but she never really talked with Judy. Doctor Greenwood also dropped over around 13 o'clock, but he only had time for an examination of Nick and was not as chatty as in the morning. She still blamed herself for the incident. And she had no idea what she should do; choosing between her family and Nick? No, that was no option, she could not do that. And her parents would never demand such a thing from her, she was sure. Judy wiped those thoughts away and addressed herself to Nick again. "Did I ever tell you when I arrested some crops when I was a child for growing into the wrong direction?" she smiled softly and talked about some childhood memories.

* * *

"I told you, that she would spend the night at the hospital at Nicks' side!" Evelin states to her disgruntled father and her worried mother after breakfast. "Of course her bed is unused."

"She should not stay in the hospital for so long, or she will catch some disease herself there." Bonnie Hopps says while clearing the table.

"Yeah, some rare fox diseases!" Joshua says, standing in the door frame of the kitchen.

Stu did not say anything and was just looking out of the window. He appears to be contemplative.

"Oh, and of course because of your constant ranting, Josh!" Evelin stares icily at her older brother, but turns around to their parents again. "Why are you giving Judy such a hard time? Do you really not notice how much she is hurt by it?" Evelin seemed to be sad and disappointed. "Judy always was so positive and in a good temper, come what may. Even when she quitted the ZPD half a year ago she wasn't as depressed as she is at the moment."

"How can you defend this fox? You don't even know him!" Joshua said bitchy, their parents still keeping silent.

"And whose fault is that? They came for a visit this weekend so we could become acquainted with him. But you prejudged him the second he entered this house!" Evelin was not as loud as Judy was yesterday, but she was totally flying into a frenzy slowly.

"He is a fox!"

"He is her partner and boyfriend!"

"He made her completely mad, perhaps seduced her into rotting and…"

"Joshua!" their mother stopped him. "Keep your temper, there are kits in the house!"

"What is the matter with you, Josh? You know what a bullhead Judy can be, are you really thinking anybody could will her? Maybe she is not mad, but in love." Evelin says.

"No difference." Joshua states frustrated.

"Now you are fudging." Evelin smirks, but immediately looking serious again. "Do you think, Judy does not know what she is doing, too, mom?"

Bonnie was looking embarrassed to her daughter, playing with a cleaning cloth in her paws. "No… but…"

"No 'but's, mom. Are you trusting her?"

Her mother, visible uncomfortable with her daughter interrogating her like this, finally says "Yes. Yes, I do."

"So what is the problem, then? Dad?" Evelin now looks at her father, who still looks out of the window in silence. "Great." She states frustrated. "I was so happy to see Judy again. We all get to see her only at rare intervals because of her job, and now maybe even more rarely. It is her life, and she is old enough to do whatever she likes!"

"That does not mean, we have to approve it." Stu finally said without turning around.

Evelin sighs. "I don't get it. Nick helped Judy with her first and all-dominant case, saved her life, he is an Officer at the ZPD, he is really handsome and seems to be a nice guy; not to mention Judy is in love with him and he seems to treat her really well. And he even saved Amie yesterday without hesitation and regardless his own well-being. What is it, for carrots sake, aside from his specie, that makes you so reserved against him?"

"You are too young, my dear. You cannot put his species apart so lightly." Her mother said carefully.

"Why not? We are still all mammals. The only problems are in your head!"

"It's morbid!" Joshua stated. "Foxes and Rabbits are natural enemies!"

"A thousand of years ago, Josh! Back then everything was totally different. Take a look at your history books. A lot of other animals were our enemies back then, but not today! We have developed! Well, most of us…" a sly grin was on Evelin's face watching Joshua. "By the way, mom." Evelin had one last ace up her sleeve. "Some of us want to bake a blueberry cake later."

Her mother looked at her, but doesn't say anything. Then Stu interferes: "For the fox?"

"For Nick." Evelin corrected him. "He loves our blueberries almost as much as Judy as far as she told me. And I believe it is the least we can do to thank him for protecting Amie."

Now Stu Hopps was grabbed by his pride for his farming products. Being it a fox or not, someone loving his blueberries was always welcomed. "Clean up the kitchen afterwards." He says while turning around, then facing his wife. "And maybe we can make a hamper with different vegetables and fruits, too, Bon."

Bonnie nodded, smiling lightly, and Evelin turned to Josh with a sly grin Nick would be proud of. She really was very similar to Judy. Joshua just snorted contemptuously, then left the kitchen.

* * *

"As the clock strikes midnight, both let the magic potion's effects wear off. They revert to their original forms, he as a gazelle and she as a lion. After all the king, her father, gives his blessing to the marriage and apologizes for all and everything he did before. Both forgive him his earlier behavior, and the party resumes. And they lived happily ever after." Judy finishes reading the book, she originally brought for her younger siblings. It was a classic fairy tale about a lion and a gazelle falling in love with each other, her parents not approving and trying to trick her into marrying another lion. But the gazelle bought a magic potion from a fairy godmother, transforming him into a grand lion.

It was the only book Judy took with her; and after telling each and every childhood story she could remember, she read it to him aloud. There is a quiet harrumph at the door and Judy turns her head by surprise. Evelin stands in the doorframe, smiling at her.

"That was a nice story." She said to Judy, taking a few steps into the room and letting the door shut close.

"How long are you standing there?" Judy asked somewhat irritated. It was always difficult to sneak up on her, but in this silent room it should not be possible at all.

"Quite a while, sis. I did not want to interrupt you, and I like fairy tales." Evelin winked and spreads her arms. "Come here, Juju." Judy slide off the chair, walked to her sister and hugged her firmly. "How is he?" she asks with a short look to Nick.

"Unimproved. The wounds are healing, but he was not yet awake. Doctor Greenwood says that it may take a while with head wounds, but I am anxious nevertheless." Judy sounded worried, her look was sad and tired.

Evelin put her paw under Judy's chin and pulled her face in her direction. "And what about you? You really look terrible, Juju."

"Exactly what a woman likes to hear from her sister." Judy smiles lightly, but Evelin shakes her head.

"Come on, Judy. How much sleep did you get since yesterday? And did you eat something?"

"I slept a few hours, and I had some fruit earlier." Judy says, deciding it would be best to be not too specific with the facts.

"Some fruit, eh?" Evelin eyes her up closely. "Well, I brought some blueberry cake I made with our siblings today. It is for Nick, but as long as he is still asleep you can have a piece. We always can bake another one for him." The younger rabbit walked back to the door, where a bag was standing on the floor. She takes it and carries it to the small table at the opposite corner of the room. "Come here, sis."

Somewhat grudging Judy scuffed her feet to her sister, looking to the content of the bag. There was a Blueberry cake as she was already told, some magazines, two bottles of carrot juice, paper plates, napkins, more picked up flowers, a crocheted blanket with a pattern of flowers, a small pillow, a photo album and a small plush bunny. Evelin takes the latter from the back and brings it to Nick, laying it at his side.

"This is Mona, Annie's favorite doll. She will take care of _Nicky_ while you are sleeping." Evelin winked at Judy. "And the flowers are from Annabelle this time. The cake is backed by me, Jana, Sam, Fiona and Carl. A lot more wanted to help, but we created enough chaos with five rabbits backing a single cake." Evelin smiled to Judy, then added: "As you can see, your boyfriend has yet quite some fans. Oh, and I bought some magazines for you to read."

Judy smiles and is visible affected. She started to tear up again, hugging her little sister. "Thank you, and everyone else." Evelin just patted Judy on her back and smiled.

"Okay, but now you will eat a piece of cake. And after that you can take a shower; there are some open bathrooms including showers near the cafeteria." Judy wanted to object, but Evelin raised her paw. "I will sit here and watch for Nick in the meantime. But we have to make sure that it is not you being smelly that keeps him unconscious." Evelin winked amused about Judy's reaction. "Come on, I am eager to hear your judgment about the cake." And with this words she takes the blueberry cake out of the bag.

* * *

Judy crouches down on the tiled floor, letting the hot stream of water run over her exhausted body. Not only tire but also mentally exhausted. She and Nick had won the 3rd place in the biathlon about 60 hours ago; previous to 36 hours they were dancing and partying like there is no tomorrow; and in the last 24 hours she had a bad argument with her family, and Nick had been in an accident and is unconscious since then. How could her life change so quick and abrupt? She had undergone her highest highs and lowest lows in less than 60 hours.

The rabbit straightens herself up, tilting her head backwards and lets the water pour onto her face. She has to talk with her parents in the near future; studiously avoiding them would work for maybe another day or two, but in spite of everything she loves her parents and her family. And she loves Nick. It has to be possible to reconcile both without letting anybody down. At least she hopes so. Choosing between her parents and Nick? This was no option and would be as impossible as choosing between her mother or her father. Nobody can demand this from her. She thought about the fairy tale; in the end everyone always realizes their mistakes and there is a happy end. But her life was no fairy tale and there was no author she could convince to wrote such a happy end for her, she had to do it all by herself.

With a sigh, Judy turned off the water and after hesitating a few seconds she steps out of the shower. There was a body-sized air blower, big enough for animals triple her size. She switches it on and a warm and steady airflow blow her fur dry within minutes. Judy closes her eyes and leans against the wall. Evelin was such a great relief to her. Most likely she had talked with their parents already, trying to convince them how absurd this whole argument is. That will make things much easier for Judy. Suddenly she missed living in Bunnyburrow and seeing her siblings every day. She loves Zootopia and her job, she loves Nick and had quite some friends in the big city. But there was none of her family, only short visits every few weeks or talking via muzzle call. This sudden realization left a stale aftertaste and frustrated she switched off the air blower. She quickly slips into a fresh pair of underwear, pants and shirt, bundles up her old clothes and walks outside the door of the public bathroom.

In the lobby Judy's gaze lingered on the people coming and going. Finally, she spots whom she was looking for, takes a deep breath and walks towards the security ram near the entrance.

"Excuse me…?" Judy started, getting some indifferent looks from the guard. "I want to apologize for my bad manners yesterday, Mister…" she searches for his name tag, "… Sheppard; my partner was in a critical state and I stand in my own light. This was some nonprofessional behave, especially … attacking you. I will give you my staff number at the ZPD so you can submit an official complaint." Judy grabs into her pocket to get her ID.

"Is your partner O.K.?" Sheppard asks, his facial expression was now somewhat more friendly.

"Doctor Greenwood said he will recover completely, but he has not awakened yet." The rabbit sighs. "But that is no excuse for my behavior. I am really sorry about that."

"Maybe it is no excuse, but it makes it much more understandable. And I really appreciate that you apologize personally. Let's not talk about it further, and best wishes for your partner, Officer Hopps." The ram shakes hands with her and Judy smiled a little.

* * *

When Judy entered Nick's room, he was still laying unchanged in his bed; Evelin was browsing one of the magazines she had brought for Judy. On her entering, Eve turned to her and smiled.

"You look much better now, Juju."

"Thanks, the shower really was a benefit. Anything new about Nick?"

"No, I am sorry." Evelin slides from the chair and made a few steps in Judy's direction who put her old clothes into her backpack. "Judy, can we have a talk?" The older sister doesn't look too enthusiastic, eventually noticing the undertone in Evelin's voice. "I talked with mom and dad…"

"Eve, please. I know I have to deal with it sooner or later. But I do not think I am ready for it, yet." Judy looked at a moment's notice very exhausted and tired.

"I can relate with you, sis." Evelin sighs and takes her sister in a firm hug. "But you should know, that mom is in fact still arguable, but she only wants you to be happy, with whomsoever that may be. And dad… he just needs more time, I think." Then she added with a sly smile: "Just try to not make out with Nick in front of him. But otherwise you two should be fine."

Judy smiles and laughs lightly, then hugs her sister again. "You are the best, Eve!"

"Don't forget it, when you are selecting the maid of honor for your twos wedding."

Now Judy laughs for the first time, winking to Evelin. "Promised."

* * *

Evelin stays for a while to accompany Judy, the older one telling her sister a few funny stories she had experienced together with Nick in Zootopia. But after the evening ward round she has to go, as being only a regular visitor. Judy goes to the cafeteria while the nurse changes Nicks' bandages, getting herself a cup of tea and a sandwich. Finally, Nick and Judy are alone again. She sits on her chair, holding his paw between hers. But shortly after, her head sinks onto the side of the bed, and the sleep overpowers her.

It is not until the first ward round in the morning that Judy wakes slowly up again from her deep sleep. There was some quiet mumbling near her, but she doesn't want to wake up yet. She was having a beautiful dream with her in a splendid weeding dress, and the full Hopps family including all relatives were there, cheering and smiling to her. Her father was walking down the aisle with her, where her grandfather Michael was waiting to espouse her to her fiancé: _Nick_. When she was standing beside him, he reaches for her paw, holding it tight. The priest made his speech and when he finally asks the magic words, Judy whispers: "Yes, I will."

"You want what, carrots?" Nicks' voice was asking. ' _What?_ ' Judy was irritated. The dream faded away, even faster as she tries to hold it just for a few more seconds. Finally, she awakes, but refuses to open her eyes yet. It was a nice feeling of Nick stroking the back of her hand. Then awareness strokes her like a lightning and she pulls her eyes open. The feeling of Nick stroking her hand was not only a dream, but he really was stroking it. She turns her head and grimaces because of the position she had fallen asleep yesterday. But she did not sense any pain the moment her eyes meet with Nicks', smiling at her. "Good morning, carrots." He speaks still somewhat weak, but he was finally awake.

"Nick!" Judy makes a jump on the bed, ignoring her aching muscles and hugging Nick firmly. Her eyes filled with tears of joy, she holds his face in her paws and touching his nose with hers.


	7. 1x07 - Light at the end of the tunnel?

**This chapter is also available as an audio drama on YouTube!**  
 **youtu. be/R1N-zghe_W0?list=PLIVs1D93vz38riF4nqo5uTmGpoU1yWeko**

* * *

Nick was not sure, if Judy was crying, laughing, sobbing, giggling or everything at once. She was just holding him with her arm around his neck, and hugging him firmly. The fox just patted her with his healthy arm on her back, giving her a soft kiss on her neck.

"Hey, carrots." Nick said softly. "Maybe you could let go of me for a second?"

"Uh-uh." Judy shook her head softly.

"The doctor is still standing right beside the bed…"

"Uh-uh."

"Judy." Nick said with a smile.

"No." The rabbit even hugged him tighter, being afraid he could vanish just like her dream.

"I will have a look at you later, Mister Wilde." Doctor Greenwood smiled and winked to his patient, then left the room.

"The doctor said I was unconscious for two days, but depending on your behavior one could easily think it were two months. Don't worry, Judy. I am not going anywhere."

"Don't worry?" Judy lifted her head and turned it a bit so she could look at him. Her eyes were red and swollen. "You scared me to death and you are saying I should not worry?" She sobs but this time with a smile.

"Oh, carrots. I was awake the whole time; it was just a hustle." He winked and Judy was sobbing and laughing again.

"Just cheating death and already huffing me, dumb fox!"

"Loyal bunny." He stroked her back again, tickling the base of her ears. "The doctor said, you were not leaving this uncomfortable chair the whole time. And even nearly knockout a security guard to get in here in the first place. With anyone else I would say he is greatly exaggerating, but knowing you it might even be true."

The rabbit giggled amused and kisses his cheek. "For you I would even have gone to hell and wrestle with the devil." Then her look got more serious. "You really gave me the creeps; you know that? For a moment I thought, that I have lost you."

Nick waved aside and smiled sly. "Nah, I am too big to get lost easily."

Judy's looks were getting even more sad. "Nick, I am serious. When I thought I might lose you, I awaken about something: I do not want you to leave me ever again."

"Carrots, I am not going anywhere without you."

"Would you swear it?"

Nick hold up his right paw and said smiling: "Boy scout honor!"

"I thought about a more romantic vow…" Judy snickers, her ears and cheeks becoming hot. The heartbeat monitor was starting to beep faster and Nicks' facial expression was a mix of emotions. Judy let go off him and hopped from the bed to hide her embarrassment about the knee-jerk comment. "Whatever, are you hungry? My siblings baked a blueberry cake for you, and after nearly three days without food you must be starving."

* * *

"Well, it seems that your reflexes are all within the range, Mister Wilde." Doctor Greenwood finished his elaborately examination of Nick. "I have scheduled you for a MRI this afternoon. But as much as I can say now everything looks good."

"When can I leave the hospital? And how long must I stay on sick leave?" Nick sounded quite enthusiastic about to work again. But maybe it was only getting out of hospital or even getting back to Zootopia.

"Mhh, actual you could be discharged in a few days. But I want you to come in every other day for a checkup and to change your bandages." He made some notes in Nicks medical journal. "Going back to work is a different kettle of fish. As long as your fractures are not healed completely you are not allowed for regular service, but only desk duty. But I want you at least on sick leave until end of this week. Do you have a family doctor in Zootopia?"

On the thought of staying two more days in the hospital and being at least four more days on sick leave, Nicks' ears dropped. "No family doctor, sorry."

"Me neither, that is aside from you Doctor Greenwood." Judy added with a smile.

"You two should get one, then. I'm too far away in case of need." He smiled softly. "I can give you an introduction for Doctor Alisson. She doesn't regularly take new patients, but I know her for quite a while and she is internist for multiple species." He hesitates for a moment, then added with a wink: "And she is specialized for inter-species reproduction, too."

Judy blushed, as did Nick, and the accelerated heartbeat monitor made Doctor Greenwood laugh lightly. "Just a suggestion, think about it and give me a notice if you wish me to give her a call. We will see again after the MRI." He shook his hands with Nick and Judy, then left the two alone.

"I have taken a few free days until Wednesday, but I will talk to Bogo if I could have another four until Sunday."

"And where should I stay for the rest of the week? I am not actually welcomed by your parents', carrots." Nick made a hangdog face and seemed to be deeply disappointed, even he did not say anything.

"Either we can stay both in the guest room of my parents, or none will. I am not staying there without you, Nick!" Judy's look was determined. "But we have a few days left to decide about this. And I will talk to them later, perhaps tomorrow."

"You really didn't leave the hospital the last few days, did you?" Nick looked astonished.

"And leave you alone? No way!" She smiled and put her paw on his arm. "And by the way, you already have quite some fans in the Hopps family, beside me that is. Annie and Annabelle convinced all younger siblings that you are really cool, and Evelin told me most of the older siblings like you, too."

"Well, there are also some dissenting voices I guess." Nick thought back to the argument at the table a few days ago, then sighs.

"Just a few stubborn rabbits, there are a few in every family." Evelin said, leaning in the doorframe. Both, Judy's and Nick's head turned around quickly.

"Hey, Eve!" Judy exclaimed and jumped from the bed, arms reached out to hug her younger sister. "This is the second time you managed to sneak up on me!" she laughed.

"I practiced a lot, but you are also quite distracted lately." Then Evelin faced Nick and giggled. "Wow, awake with that cute smile he is even more handsome, sis!"

Nick stayed cool with a sly grin outwardly, but the heartbeat monitor betrayed him again with an accelerating beeping. "Okay, this thing has to be switched off!" he murmured and both bunnies laughed.

"Hello, I am Evelin, or just Eve for my friends." The younger rabbit made a few steps in his direction so Nick could stay in bed and shakes his paw. "I have heard so much about you!"

"As you are still here I guess Judy only told my positives." The fox winked, being sly again, and shakes her paw.

"Oh, I got all the exiting details, including how you managed to get her to kiss you in that bar." Evelin had a serious look for a moment, and Nicks' acting failed complete, looking like someone punched him in the stomach. Then Eve suddenly laughed full-throated and turned to Judy. "For a fox he is really gullible, how had he survived your moments of sarcasm during heat?" Nick still looked puzzled when Evelin patted his arm. "Don't worry, I know you didn't trick her into anything." She winked at him and Nick snorted.

"Dumb bunny."

"Hey, no reason to get personal!", Evelin crossed her arms and looked annoyed.

"Wha…? No, I mean… That was just…" Nick was risking his neck with careless talk and wagged his arms, looking helpless to Judy who was leaning against the wall, watching amused at the spectacle.

"She is fooling you again, dumb fox."

"Sly bunny." Nick murmured and lean frustrated back into his pillow. "As if one of you is not enough, you are now overpowering an enfeebled fox!"

Evelin was still snickering and winked to Judy. "You really got yourself a sweet one, I envy your great fortune, sis!"

Judy grinned: "Yep, as a full-time cop you have to mess around with what you get."

Nick pouted and chuntered. "I should call the nurse, you two are obstructive for my healing."

Judy wanted to reply something, but Evelin was faster: "Your ego doesn't count, my dear." Judy clapped her paws in front of her mouth and snickered again, accompanied by some more murmuring by Nick.

"Why am I still messing about with you…" Nick rolled his eyes.

"Because you know, you love me." Judy chirped sweetly, winking in his direction.

"Do I know that?" Nick made a thoughtful face, then sighed. "Yes. Yes, I do. And you are my one and only real weakness, you know that carrots?"

"Yes, absolutely." She winked and then blow a kiss to him.

"Oh, come on. I don't even get a real one after all?" Nick pouted again.

"I can help out for Judy…" Evelin offered, grinning from ear to ear.

Judy stood there with her hands on her hips and tripled with her feet. "Don't you dare! This is my fox; you can trap one yourself!"

"Excuse me, if I may say something…?" Nick started sheepishly, but was interrupted by both rabbits at once.

"No."

Nick helplessly throw his healthy arm in the air and dropped back into his pillow for the second time within minutes. "What have I done to deserve this?"

"Maybe nibbling from our favorite carrot?"

"Eve!" Judy blushed and beat her sister on the arm, who only giggled; even Nick snickered, finally losing his awkwardness slowly. "I should never have told you that! Don't let that one slip when Mom or Dad are around, they would kill Nick and take me for a ride."

"Isn't that my job, carrots? Like, literally?" Nick added with a wink. Judy scowled at him and Evelin laughed.

"You two are really a great couple!" Evelin determined, then with a wink to Nick: "And I really mean it this time. I'm really happy for you two." She smiled widely at both. Nick and Judy shared a look, then smiled, too. "But don't forget your promise when time comes, Juju." Eve winked at Judy, who blushed again with a careful side glance to Nick, who looked between the two bunnies inquiring.

He did not have time to ask about that promise, because a sheep in a lab coat entered the room with a wheelchair. "Hello, Mister Wilde. I'm picking you up for your MRI."

* * *

"He isn't half bad, Stu. Just think about if she would bring someone like Zackery Milligan home." Bonnie Hopps was sitting at the kitchen table, nervously polishing the same apple since more than five minutes.

"At least he is a rabbit." Stu answered stubborn.

"He is an idiot, Stu." Bonnie answered, rolling with her eyes.

"But he is a rabbit."

"He is a petty criminal!"

"But he is a rab…"

"Oh, shut your mug, Stu!" Bonnie appeared impatient. "I would even prefer seeing her a freaking lion instead of this rabbit." Stu snorted indifferent. "Furthermore it seems this fox is making her happy. Shouldn't this be the most important thing for us?" She sighs.

"But maybe he is only taking advantage of her! Didn't you see, how Jude is under his spell? You cannot trust a fox, everybody knows this!" Stu sounded frustrated and walked the kitchen up and down. "Maybe…"

"Maybe", Bonnie cut him off, "everybody is wrong and our daughter is the one we should listen to. Since when do you don't trust her judgment? I still do!"

"Me, too, Bon." Stu dropped himself onto a chair besides his wife and sighs again. "But why had it to be a fox? Couldn't she found herself a nice rabbit? She is my little girl, and I wanted some grandchildren from her. No Hopps bunny was ever childless."

"We have so much other little girls, you will have enough grandchildren." Bonnie said, then offered after short hesitation: "Or maybe they even will have their own…"

"Good grief! Are you serious? A fox and a rabbit having biological kits?" Stu was getting nearly an attack thinking about it and jumped from his chair again. "Is this even possible?"

"I don't know, Stu." She was reaching with her paw for his. "But don't you think Judy deserves our support either way?"

"Oh, Bon, what have we done?" Stu sit down again, holding Bonnies paw with his, looking really worried.

"We raised Judy to be open-minded, kind-hearted and optimistic." Bonnie smiled softly and Stu put his head down onto her paw. "I think we did everything absolutely right, my dear." She patted her husband on his head.

* * *

"I don't know what I should do, Eve." Judy sat with her sister in the waiting room. "This never happens, I always have a plan and know what to do." She was a mess.

"Oh dear, this fox really got under your skin." Evelin smiled happily to her sister.

"Yeah, and I don't like it. I cannot think very well even when he is only talking." Judy sounded frustrated.

"Judith Laverne Hopps, totally in love and be at the mercy of her own emotions." Evelin laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Ha, ha." Judy pokes her tongue out at her sister, but grinned, too. "But back to the topic, I have to talk to Mom and Dad today or tomorrow. And this will be really unfunny."

"I think you should talk with Mom first. She takes it more easy." Evelin proposed. "Are you deliberate about whether you two should stay at the burrow after Nick is dismissed?"

"I would like to, it's rarely enough that I see the family. Staying at the Hotel would be really a waste. Furthermore, I still wait for a reply from by boss, Chief Bogo. He was in the field when I called. "

"How long do you plan to stay?"

"As long as Nick has to. I will not leave him alone in Bunnyburrow." Evelin grinned at her, fully aware of her protective instincts towards the fox; Judy rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Eve!"

"It's just too cute, Juju." Evelin snickered. "I am really happy for you two, always feared you would end up as an old maid." She winked at her. "He is doing you good."

"I know." Judy smiled and had a glance in her eyes.

A nurse came into the waiting room, looking inquiring. "Officer Judy Hopps?"

"That's me!" Judy waved at her.

"There is a phone call for you from the ZPD, line seven. Just enter _star - star - 7 - hash_ on the phone over there to accept it." The nurse said and left the room again.

Judy walked over to the phone, entered the code and waited for the connection to be established. "Officer Hopps, hello?"

"Hopps." It was Chief Bogos voice, "Your phone is offline."

"Oh, sorry chief. I forgot to charge it and the battery must have died."

"I got your application for four more days of vacation." The cape buffalo didn't sound too enthusiastic about the idea, and Judy sighs.

"Yes, sir."

"You are all right?"

"Yes, sir."

"And your partner is awake and not at risk anymore?"

"I think so, sir. He is currently being examined but everything looks good so far." Judy could not quite keep her disappointment out of her voice. Those questions could only lead to the decision to get her back on duty, and leaving Nick alone. She considered to tell a small lie about Nicks' health status, just to stay a little longer. But she couldn't cross this line, even now.

"Well, under these circumstances I see no reason for you to stay on vacation any longer, Hopps. I need my best officers on duty." Judy's ears fell down and she let her shoulders sink. "But maybe I can make some concessions to you." The chief snarls as always, but Judy swore she could hear a little smile in his voice.

"Sir?"

"We have got a request for administrative assistance from the precinct in Bunnyburrow. A dispute between neighbors ended bloody with a zooicide. Under normal circumstances I would have send Fangmeyer and Pawlstake. But as you are on the ground already and know the locals, I am considering to schedule you for this request."

"This would be great, sir! You won't be sorry about it, I promise!" Judy was all eager again, wobbling with her nose and tail.

"Should I send you a replacement for Officer Wilde?" Chief Bogo already knew the answer, but had to ask nevertheless.

"No, Sir. I think I will cope with it on my own. Also Ni… I mean Officer Wilde will be eager to do the paper work."

"That would be a first…" Bogo mumbled and Judy grinned. "Well then. I already announced your appearance to the local sheriff for tomorrow. He will brief you with all details. Good luck!"

"Thank you, Sir!"

"And, Hopps…"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Best wishes to Wilde from the whole squad."

"Thank you, Sir!" The line clicked and Judy slowly hang up the phone.

"What is it, sis?" Evelin asked impatiently when Judy stand thoughtful and motionless for a few seconds.

"Well, it seems as if we will stay for a while…"

* * *

"Good news, Mister Wilde." Doctor Greenwood helped Nick, who was struggling with his casted leg and arm, to climb down the metal barrow of the MRI. "I could not see any edema, crushes or bleedings inside your brain, so I'm not expecting any long-term effects. How bad is your headache, on a scale from zero to ten?"

"Painful, but sufferable." Nick said with a relieved face. "I would say, maybe a strong six."

"I will tell the nurse to give you some light painkillers for the next few days. What about nausea or vomiting? Any seizures or aphasia?" The doctor blazed with a small flashlight alternating into both eyes.

"A small nausea when I get up from laying down." Nick followed the flashlight with his eyes from the left side to the right side of his field of vision. The rabbit switched the flashlight off, nodded pleased and noted something in Nicks medical journal.

"It seems that you really had an angel patronizing you; for the severity of the accident you really get off lightly." He smiled. "But you should treat yourself with care in the next weeks; take things nice and easy. And if you notice any aftereffects, you should go to the next emergency ward."

"I think I can do that." Nick smiled and shakes hands with the doctor.

"Well then, we will closely monitor you the next two days. Do you have an accommodation for the days after your release?"

"Not yet, Judy wanted to talk with her parents if we can stay for a few days." Nicks look was getting sad and his ears drooped. "But maybe I should vote for a hotel."

The old rabbit eyeballed Nick, then putting his hands into the lab coats' pockets. "I heard from Miss Hopps, that you weren't well received by her family." His voice was easy, almost fatherly. "Don't take it to heart, Mister Wilde. It's a countrified area and most older people in Bunnyburrow are quite old-fashioned. But I would not count the Hopps' to the hard-liner. They were probably only caught on the wrong foot. I really think you are a nice guy with a good nature. Even when putting aside my own long lasting knowledge of animal nature, I saw how Miss Judy Hopps looks at you." Nick smiled embarrassed and the Doctor continues smiling. "If you could win her heart, I bet you will win her parents, too. You just have to give them some time to better know you. At least you saved her little kit, and actions speak louder than words." He patted the fox on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Doctor Greenwood. I will give my best to don't disappoint neither you nor Judy." Nick smiled eased.

"Speaking of, I think Miss Hopps is impatiently waiting outside." Doctor Greenwood went ahead and called a nurse with a wheelchair to assist Nick.

* * *

"Nick!" Judy jumped from her seat and rushed to the fox who was moved in his wheelchair from another rabbit in a white lab coat. "Thank you, I will take him now." She smiled to the nurse, then pushed Nick to the group of chairs around a table where Evelin was waiting with another rabbit. When Nick arrived at the table he saw three more small bunnies, sitting together on one chair and drawing on a writing pad. "This is my brother Patrick." Judy pointed to the other adult rabbit that had a brown fur as against Judy's and Evelin's greyish. He seemed to be about the age of Judy and Evelin, but that was hard to tell.

"Nice to meet ye'!" Patrick waved with a paw to Nick, who replied with a smile.

"Hi Patrick."

"This is Bobby…" Judy was now pointing to one of the three little kits, that had some funny brown patches within his light grey fur. Bobby was waving shyly and then hiding snickering behind his two sisters. "And those two did you already meet…"

"Annie and Annabelle, right?" Nick smiled without showing too much of his teeth and waved to the two giggling bunnies."

"Nicky!" Both shouted, then jumped on the table and rushed to the fox, landing in his lap and trying to hug him with their cute little paws.

Nick laughed and put his healthy arm around both of them, tickling their head. Evelin snickered: "Awww, how cute!" She holds on to this moment by making a few photos with her phone and winked to Judy. "I think, you got some competition, sis!"

"They were whining for two days to visit ye', Mister Wilde. And when Eve messaged that you were finally awake and according to the circumstances feeling okay, they finally persuaded me to accompany them for a visit." Patrick said with a friendly smile.

"I missed you too, my little bunnies!" Nick smirked to the beaming two kits in his lap. "And you can call me Nick, Patrick." He offered with a smile towards the male rabbit. Bobby was now standing alone on the chair, torn between staying in a safe distance to the foreigner and cuddling him together with his slightly younger sisters. He gave himself a start and finally lumbered shyly towards Nick. The fox carefully put his open paw slowly on the table. Bobby still appeared somewhat skeptical, but then hugged Nicks' big paw with his cute little arms. "Hello, my little friend." Nicks voice was gentle and finally Bobby crawled quickly over the fox's arm and joining his sisters with a proud smile.

"Wow, you are honored Nick! Little Bobby is one of our shyest siblings, he is not getting warm with strangers easily! That he even wanted to come along with his sisters is exceptional. But such a quick familiarity is really a first time!" Patrick was amazed and Evelin made a few more photos while Judy put her arms around Nicks upper body from behind, smiling happily from ear to ear.

"You really know how to capture a bunny's heart, my dear." She kissed him softly on the cheek; and of course Evelin made a photo hereof, too. "Hey!" Judy protested mildly, but Evelin and Patrick were just giggling at her, and even Nick was smiling with a sly grin.

"You know, if I hadn't those casts, I would offer them a really good show." He winked and Judy considered him with a played angry look, then took a chair beside Nick.

"By the way…" Patrick started, and because of his changed voice Judy knew what was coming next. "Mom and Dad really wants to talk to you, Judy." Then he paused before he continues. "And with you, too, Nick." The last part got both, Judy and Nick, by surprise; but Evelin smiled lightly.

"So, did Mom finally convinced the old grumbler, that Nick will not devour their children?" Evelin asked nonchalantly and the two little girls giggled amused. Only Bobby was looking somewhat worried, but finally started to smile when Nick didn't dash forward to swipe him. Judy on the other side still looked somewhat skeptically and her brother just shrugged.

"I don't know you, Nick, but I think you are a nice guy. And if Jude likes you…"

"You bet!" Judy said determined.

"…that's sufficient for me, too; and Mom is thinking alike, I believe. And Pa will listen to her." Patrick winked to Judy. "As always. We Hopps were always somewhat matriarchic." This time he winks to Nick, who gulped with an expression on his face that made everyone laugh – beside him that is.

* * *

Nick was laying in his bedside, Judy besides him and snuggled into his healthy arm and his tail. When visiting hours were over, the other Hopps' left and they could share some private time in his sickroom. Judy wouldn't leave the hospital today, but promised that she would talk to her parents the next day. She also told Nick about the new case she had assumed, still not knowing much details herself yet.

"A zooicide here in Bunnyburrow?" Nick sounded astonished and worried. "You should not do that all alone, carrots. As long as I am on desk duty you need another partner!"

"Don't get upset, Nick." Judy stroked his arm and smiled. "You have to go easy. And it is a neighborhood dispute, not a madcap serial killer."

"And why did they request for administrative assistance then?" Nick still sounded worried and hugged her more firmly. "It may be dangerous, Judy."

"There is only a really small police department here in Bunnyburrow, and a zooicide is such an exceptional case, they simply don't know what to do. They normally have to deal with a few shopliftings or vandalism on the fields. And our job is always dangerous to some degree, be it in Zootopia or here in Bunnyburrow. I will keep you up-to-date and promise you to be guarded, okay?"

"Do I have a choice? No. No, I don't." Nick sighed but also smiled softly. Judy gave him a sweet kiss, touching his cheek with her paw.

"Don't worry, I don't want you to undergo the same dubiety and anxiety I had for the last days. I promise, Nick."

"Thank you, Judy. I love you." Nick smiled dreamily and they both snuggled below the blanket.


	8. 1x08 - Murder in the Tri-Burrow

It was quite early when Judy woke up the next morning. The last few days were stressful, but last night she had sleep through after her concerns regarding Nick finally went obsolete. The room was dark besides the dim light from the medical monitors. She turned around and gazed Nick. He had put his snout on top of her head during sleep, his healthy arm was still holding Judy and in his left arm he holds the little rag doll from Annie. Judy smiled moony and thought back to her siblings visit the day before. She never thought that Nick would get on with them so easily. But seeing Nick playing with her youngest siblings also invoked new feelings she never thought of before; it was the first time she thought about having her own family and her own children. _With Nick_. That subject never came up before to her and Judy would have liked to talk about it with her Mom. She sighs and smiled to Nick. He really looked cute while sleeping with this little rag doll in his arm. And how he treated the little kits yesterday, even Bobby, was so dearest and unexpected. She was quite sure Nick would be a great father. But the thought of it made her suddenly sad; was it even possible for her to have biological children with Nick? Or did he even want some?

" _You are totally overthinking again, Judy._ " She said quietly to herself. They were dating for how long, not even two weeks, and Judy was already planning their near, middle and far future. Judy grabbed her phone that was laying on the chair beside the bed, connected to the charger. Half past five; she snuggled back into Nicks' fur, just listening to his heart beat and breathing. Judy smiled and eventually fell in a light sleep again.

* * *

It was just after seven o'clock in the morning when Judy left the hospital for the first time since Nick's committal on Saturday. The sun was shining and it promised to be a warm and beautiful Tuesday. She had her badge attached to the belt of her trousers and planned on going to the precinct here in Bunnyburrow at first. Then she would decide if she would go directly to her parents' house and have a late breakfast there, or if she go to the only coffeehouse in town to have some breakfast as a strengthening before talking to her parents. ' _What were you overthinking, carrots?_ ' Nick had asked her when she was changing her clothes to something more official: A white blouse with beige pants and a light jacket in the same color, that made her look like an insurance salesman. Evelin borrowed her the outfit, because all she had packet for the weekend-trip was a pair of casual shirts and some jeans. ' _Something I want to talk to you maybe later._ ' she had answered to Nick with a quick kiss on his check. He protested, but Judy already was out of his room. ' _Don't get ahead of yourself, Judy._ ' She said to herself on her way out.

After about ten minutes Judy arrived at the precinct. It was really small on the outside, a simple red-brick building. She was there for a few visits every time they had an open day back when she was a child; it did not change very much since then. In the lobby she was immediately greeted by Misses Croach, an elderly sheep and the receptionist for as long as Judy could remember.

"Hello, Judy! Oh… sorry, of course I mean Officer Hopps!" she gets up from her chair, walked around the desk and hugged Judy with a friendly smile.

"Hi, Misses Croach! And you can always call my Judy, no need to be formal." Judy replied, being happy that she was still recognized by the mother of her old school-friend with whom she also had done the play about Zootopia. "How is Emily?"

"She is doing great; in two months she begins her new job as a technical assistant at the ZASA! Isn't that great?" Misses Croach proudly showed Judy a framed picture from her desk. "This is her graduating from the Messapawsetts Institute of Technology!"

"Wow, that really is impressive! Deliver her my best wishes and congratulations!"

"Of course, my dear, of course! Well, what brings you around, Judy?" The sheep sat on her chair again, putting on her glasses.

"Chief Bogo from the ZPD send me as supportive Officer on grounds of your request for administrative assistance. I should meet the sheriff this morning for more details."

"Ohh…" Miss Croach looked a bit uneasy. "It must be that zooicide yesterday. A real tragedy. We didn't have to handle such extreme circumstances for nearly forty years!"

"Someone I know?" Judy asked worried.

"Most probably, his son was going to school with you and Emily. You know the Leeps?"

"You are not talking about Aaron and Sarah Leep, are you?" Judy was shocked.

"I'm so sorry, Judy." Misses Croach nodded sadly. "Aaron Leep is the victim. But you better talk with Sheriff Darcy, I will take a look if he is busy." With this words the sheep got off her chair again and walked to the back office, knocking on a door. Judy tried to remember as much as she could about the Leeps. They were a smaller family of rabbits, living near the outskirts of Bunnyburrow. Mister Leep was an ornery misanthrope and a skilled carpenter. His wife Sarah was the opposite, a fun-loving personality. They had quite a few kits, as most rabbit families, but Judy went to school with only two of them. Tim and John were the youngest of the family and about her age. But she never had too much contact with them, their father didn't let them play too often with other children. After school she lost contact completely.

"Officer Hopps!" the sheriff walked to the front desk with Miss Croach; he is an old hart and the last decades had worked him over. Judy knew him from her visits on open days and shakes smiling his hand.

"Hello, Sheriff Darcy! Good to see you are still well."

"Let's go to the conference room, I have all documents already prepared for you." The hart pointed along the hall to another door, and Judy followed him to the room. "Well…" he said, after sitting down at the table and thankfully accepting a mug of coffee from the receptionist. "Look at you! You really made it to the force! My belated congratulations, Judy."

"Thank you, Sheriff."

"And now you are back in town, helping out on us poor country people." The hart winked at her and took a sip from his coffee.

"As far as I understood, you send an official request for administrative assistance to the ZPD, Sir?" Judy felt not very welcomed, despite the friendly face of the hart.

"Oh, just call me Mike. We are not very formal here." He smiled. "And don't get me wrong, your help is much welcomed! But I did not anticipate our own town hero to help us out." He winked at her again. "You know, not only your parents are very proud of you; you are a local celebrity since the Nighthowler case."

Judy blushed and twitched on her blouse nervously. "Thank you, but it was not me alone that finished the case, and my parents are greatly exaggerating my involvement."

The sheriff laughed, but was getting serious right after. "Okay, now for the case. You already heard about the zooicide?"

"No, I didn't hear the news until Chief Bogo called me yesterday. Miss Croach told me the victim is Aaron Leep?"

"Exactly. His son John found the body in the delivery entrance of their shop yesterday noon at quarter past one. He was looking for him when he noticed that his father had not opened the shop yet."

"Cheese and crackers, John found him?" Judy put a paw on her mouth. "Sorry, Mike; I went to school with him. And this news just took me by surprise."

"That's okay. You will find his testimony in the case file." The sheriff handed her a brown folder with a copy of the case file. "There are also photos and evidence. We have a suspect, too. Mister Leep had a long lasting neighborhood dispute. My associate searched the adjacent bakery and found a bloodied knife between some sacks of corn."

"The bakery?" Judy only knows two bakeries in Bunnyburrow. One was near the station, and the other one somewhere outskirts; the latter it must be. "It belongs to the Tailors, isn't it?"

"Ah, I see you know your old hometown! Yes, the bakery of Frank Tailor, but the son has adopted most of the business."

"Your main suspect is his son, Thomas Tailor?"

"Sorry for the misunderstanding. No, the junior has an alibi; he was supplying their products during the period of the crime. I was talking about Frank, his father. You know them?"

"Not really, but I know his competitor Gideon Grey; he is cooperating with my parents and he told me a few things about the Tailors on my visit a few months ago.

"They were having an argument for more than a decade with the Leeps. Mainly because Mister Tailor could not go to bed early because Mister Leep worked in the workshop until sunset. The hammering and drilling and so forth. But in the morning Mister Tailor had to start the day always very early. And Mister Leep was bothered by the early customers of the bakery, because he was usually starting his day rather late. The usual stuff we have to deal with in our precinct, nothing fancy."

Judy was browsing through the case file while listening to Mikes report. "And because of their history, you searched the bakery?"

"Yes, we even did not need a search warrant. Mister Tailor almost invited us to search his shop and storage rooms." The sheriff nodded. "Of course we had to arrest him after we found the knife. He is in investigative custody if you want to talk to him."

"I think I will work through all your reports at first. And after that I will visit the crime scene and talk with Miss Leep and her son John. I think I will listen to what Mister Tailor has to say in the afternoon, if that will be okay with you?" Judy was bundling up the case file again.

"Of course, Judy. Just give me a short message if you need any support. But you should know, Misses Sarah Leap died two years ago on cancer."

"Oh… okay."

"Dora will hand you a radio, so you can get in direct contact with us. You can also have a bike from our car pool." _Dora_ – that was the first name of Miss Croach, she totally had forgotten it! "As aforesaid, I am really happy to have an experienced officer from the ZPD on the ground for this case. Especially since it's you!" Sheriff Darcy smiled and shakes her hands, then went ahead, back to the front desk. "Dora, could you hand Judy a mobile radio. And she can have the keys for the bike."

"Thank you, Mike. I will report to you after I visited the workshop." Judy smiled and bid farewell.

* * *

Judy only ever ride a motor bike during her driving lessons in the police academy, but after starting slowly and carefully, she got the hang of it. She spontaneously decided having breakfast at her parents' house. Not going there by foot but with a police motorbike and wearing the proper outfit gave her the necessary ego boost. While turning into the access road to the burrow, she switched on the flashing lights and the siren for a moment, then came to a halt right beside her slightly shocked father, who worked on his old truck. She got off the bike full of verve and strolled cool to Stu, who apparently had not yet recognized her; she wore a motorcycle suit made out of Kevlar and a helmet without visor.

"Your driver's license and car documents, Sir!" She said in her most authoritative voice. Stu just stared at her blankly.

"But I didn't even dr…" He suddenly made big eyes: "Wait a second, Jude?"

"Oh my god, what happened, Stu?" Bonnie was running out of the house; she only could see Judy from behind and sounded worried. Judy however was first grinning at her father, then turning around nonchalantly to her Mom, standing there with her hands on her hips. "Oh… Oh!" Bonnie froze and stared to her daughter who just put off her helmet.

"Judith!" her mother exclaimed, a hint of anger in her voice. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Me too!" Stu snorted from her side.

"I think you two quite deserved this…" Judy answered with a sly grin. Her mother lost her angry face at once and now looked guilty. Her father only twitched with his nose.

"Since when do you drive a motorbike? Also an idea by this f… ?" Stu asked indignant but stopped abruptly when he saw his wife's angry looks. "I mean, your partner?"

Judy rolled her eyes and put the helmet on the bike. "He has no idea, and this is beside academy the first time."

"This suite is very becoming to you, sis." Evelin strolled from the house in their direction with a grin on her face. "Hot and sexy!" Stu got a coughing fit and Bonnie hold her breath with a sibilant sound.

Judy laughed, made a quick leap and hugged her sister. "You are damn right, Eve! And best regards from Nick." She turned her head to her parents. "For you, too." Stu murmured something inscrutable and Bonnie twitched her paws, nodding nervously.

"Thank you, hon."

"Well, you two wanted to talk with me, right? I only got half an hour until I have to drive to a crime scene, so let's begin." She still was talking very authoritarian and at least her mother seemed to be somewhat daunted by her direct approach.

"Hey, keep it down, Juju. You should talk with them, not interrogate them like criminals." Evelin winked at Judy and bounced with her hip against hers. "Do you want me to leave?" She offered with an inquiring gaze. Their parents wanted to answer something, but Judy was faster.

"Thank you, but I would prefer if you could stay." Judy's voice was now softer and more friendly. "And perhaps we can go in one of the kitchens, I didn't have any breakfast yet." She added in the direction of her parents, who just nodded. "Well, then let's go." Judy waved with one arm to follow her and walked to the front door.

* * *

Judy loved her parents and didn't mean to roast them. But thinking back how harsh they were against Nick, she thought they could earn a wipe-down. Being the bad cop never was her thing, but a few minutes ago it was quite funny; at least for her, and probably Evelin, too. When she entered the nearly empty house – most of her younger siblings were in school, and the older ones working in the fields – she took off her Kevlar jacket, hanging it on the coatrack. She pours herself a pot of herbal tea while Evelin made a few pancakes for her. Her parents already sat down at the dining table, waiting for her. Judy stand beside a chair in the face of them, putting one paw on the backrest and taking a sip of her tea.

"Maybe you want to sit down…?" Her mother started after a few moments of deep silence.

Judy wanted to reply something bitchy, but then decided to play it safe and slowly take a seat. She holds her cup of tea with both paws, having another sip from it. Another moment of silence followed, only interrupted when Evelin put a plate with four pancakes in front of Judy and sat down between her and their parents. Stu was twitching with an old rag he used to polish his truck; Bonnie looked sad and nervous and looked down. Judy finished her third pancake when her mother finally took the word.

"We want to apologize to you and Nick, Judith." Bonnies voice was thin and a little too high, but she continued. "We…" Stu interrupted her.

"Better said _I_ … really misbehaved. And I'm very sorry."

"We are very sorry!" Bonnie added with a side glance to her husband. "There is no excuse, beside we love you and only want the best for you."

"Whatever that may be…" Stu added reluctant. "You always had our respect and trust, and that won't change in the future."

Judy slowly looked from her Mom to her Dad and back to her Mom. There was a somewhat beseeching look on Bonnies face and Judy felt a lump in her throat. She took a large sip from her cup of tea, clothing her eyes. Her thoughts were rushing and her heartbeat was surely faster than it should be. Her parents had apologized, talked about respect and trust. But that wasn't enough.

"What about Nick?" she asked after a while. And when her parents didn't answer but looked inquiring: "Do you accept him being my boyfriend? I really don't want to hide him in my backpack whenever I come for a visit."

"No! I mean yes, you can bring him along and no, you never have to hide him… or your feelings." Her mother quickly said, then hit her husband with her elbow.

"Yes, of course he is also welcomed, Jude." Her father added with only a short hesitation.

Judy smiled lightly; Patrick was right, the Hopps were always somewhat matriarchic. But at least her father said it out loud, that Nick was welcomed. ' _Going for phase two…_ ' she thought.

"Well, you will have a chance to prove yourself. After all actions speak louder than words, right?"

"What do you mean, hon?" her mother asked; her voice was nearly normal again. Stu was on the watch.

"Nick is going to be released tomorrow, and I am officially supporting the local police with a case of zooicide. So, Nick and I have to stay for a while in Bunnyburrow. We could go to a hotel, or…?" she offered without ending her sentence.

Stu didn't show any impulse but Bonnie offered a bright smile: "Of course you two won't stay at the hotel! We still have the guest room prepared, you can stay here with us. If you two are okay with that, that is."

"I don't know, Mom." Judy smiled but was still somewhat worried. "Nick still needs some support during the day. And I will have to work during the day, most of the time not being able to stay with him."

"That is okay, Jude." Her father spoke out of a sudden. "Maybe we get to know each other better during your stay."

Bonnie eagerly nodded. "Your father is right! Maybe we cannot undo his first impression of us, but we should try."

"I rest my case." Evelin said, hitting with her paw on the table like it was the hammer of a judge and smiled brightly.

"Well, okay. I will take you at your words." Also Judy was smiling now and started to eat her last pancake. "Eve, my dear. May I have another one?" she mumbled with full mouth and winked to her.

* * *

Judy put the warning tape to the side and entered the crime scene. The workshop of Mister Leep was down-and-out; she was never here before, one of her uncles and even two of her brothers were quite experienced carpenters. The rabbit pulled out a few photos from the case file she carried under her arm. She looked around, trying to find the locations the individual pictures were taken. In front of the entrance some dirty footprints were found as well as some remains of a shattered piece of wood. Nothing of interest for the moment. She walked to the back and the first thing she saw was the chalk outline. Judy smiled; this outline was somewhat old fashioned. They were still made when the victim is alive and had to be moved by the medics. But on a zooicide they could make all photos they need without anyone moving the corpse; so, no chalk outline was needed. But she guessed, no one at the local precinct had visited any forensic training in the last twenty years. Inside and outside of the chalk outline were bloodstains. On the photos they were even liquid, now all that was left was some dark brownish stains. Judy walked around them, her eyes travelling over the surroundings. The backyard was not visible from the forefront and a wooden fence of maybe two meters' height was preventing unwanted looks from the neighbors. Furthermore, there was more wooden debris all over the floor.

Judy made a few true to scale sketches and took a few samples of the debris and some fibers she found at the wooden fence. After some closing photos with her phone she walked to the forefront again. Here she took a sample of the wood, too, and made a few more photos from different angles. Then she went to the entrance door of the workshop, examining the door lock carefully. There were some scrapes, presumably from using the keys carelessly. In the case file was also a key to open the door and when it was open, she inspected the lock again from the other side. After a while she came to the conclusion that nobody had tried to open the door by violence, entered the workshop and closed the door. The windows were covered with wooden hatches and only little sunlight came into the room. Judy let her surroundings sink in, sweeping her gaze slowly from side to side. The workshop was a mess and a lot of half-finished furniture and other … things were standing or laying all over the floor or onto one of the two workbenches.

Her precursor did consider it unnecessary to make any photos inside the workshop, so Judy made up leeway. After that she took a measuring tape from her pocket and created a few more scaled sketches of the room and it fittings. The educational books on forensic examination of crime scenes indicated to not only examine the main scene, but the surrounding area, too. You cannot know what is important or not beforehand. And Judy was more than accurate with her examinations. In a drawer of one of the workbenches she found some papers with sketches and calculations. She made a photo, then put them into another evidence bag.

It took her nearly three hours to finish her investigations on the crime scene and it was past two o'clock. She promised to have lunch with Nick over half an hour ago, so she packed all evidence bags and documents into her backpack, and drove off back to the hospital.

With her police motorbike suite on she even did not had to show her visitor badge, she just went straight to Nicks' room. After a short knocking she entered the room.

"Hey, carrots!" Nick smiled and waved with his right arm to her. On his lap were sitting Annie, Annabelle, Bobby, Lucas and Bella – the latter also being young siblings of her. They all were drawing with crayons on Nicks' casts. Evelin and Ralph – another adult brother of them – were sitting on two chairs beside the bed, chatting with the fox until Judy arrived.

"Hey Ju!" Ralph waved at her and Evelin just winked. Judy really was surprised with this sight and looked baffled.

"As I said, you have some competition." Evelin slyly grinned.

"It seems so…" Judy said with a smile.

"Eve really did not understate when she said, you look quite hot in this outfit." Nick snickered and blow a kiss in her direction.

"Thanks! What about lunch, did you all have some yet?"

"Nope" Ralph answered, "We all have waited for you!"

"I will get a wheelchair" Evelin sprung off her chair and rushed past Judy out of the room.

Judy walked beside Nick, bend over and gave him a kiss. "How are you?"

"I'm optimally aided by your siblings here. They decided my white cast isn't en vogue."

"It's boring!" Annie and Lucas said nearly at the same time, the other small siblings giggled.

"Well, okay. They said it is boring." Nick winked and smiled content. When Evelin came back with a wheelchair, Judy helped him to climb into it. Evelin and Ralph each grabbed a few of their siblings onto their arms and went ahead to the cafeteria. Judy started to roll Nick afterwards when he asked: "Were you in a garage or on the shooting gallery today?" He tried to sound unconcerned, but Judy heard his heartbeat going a bit faster, sounding worried.

"The crime scene is a carpentry workshop. Wherefrom did you know that?"

"The longer the nose, the better the scent is." Nick winked at her. "I can smell different kinds of wood, machine oil and gunpowder on you."

"The wood and machine oil sounds right, but with the gunpowder you were out of luck."

Nick paused, then turned his head around. Judy stopped the wheelchair and replied his look. The fox was closing his eyes and taking a deep breath through his nose directly above her paw and arm. "No, there is the distinct smell of gunpowder, carrots. How long did you linger in this workshop?"

"Hm, quite a while; perhaps two hours?"

"Then the smell might just adhere to you because it was in the air."

"But why should there be gunpowder in a carpentry? The victim was not shoot, but bleed to death by stabbing wounds." Judy looked thoughtfully and slowly pushed the wheelchair in the direction of the cafeteria.

"Would you mind if I take a look at your notes and photos?" Nick offered.

"Not today, Nick! You should let it grow easy, and working on a case while still in the hospital is the opposite of nice and easy!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Nick saluted with a grin.

"Oh, and by the way leaving the hospital; I had a talk with my parents…" Judy started slowly, crawling him behind his ears soothing.

* * *

During their lunch in the cafeteria of the hospital Judy was rather quiet. She was thinking on her case and all the things and impressions she had collected. Everything had to be sorted into its own category and after that she could value it. Then there was Nicks' discovery of gunpowder. She didn't smell anything of it back in the workshop, but there were quite a lot of different scents and her sense of smell wasn't that distinct like Nicks'.

It wasn't until she noted, that everybody on the table was looking in her direction. Her ears turned bashful a little down and she looked to Nick with her ' _Sorry, I was overthinking again, what happened?_ ' face. Nick smiled wildly, it was one of his favorite looks; Judy being Judy and nevertheless being sorry for it.

"Ralph suggested a movie night tomorrow and we were talking about what movies we could watch. Evelin suggested a romantic comedy, Ralph somewhat with more action, and I voted for an action comedy. You are going to tip the scales, carrots." Nick commented and winked in her direction.

"Oh." Judy replied and thought a moment about the choices. It was obvious – at least to her – that Nick choose the compromise between an action movie and a funny romantic novel not randomly. He did not want to take a risk by taking sides with one of them, so an action comedy was a safe vote for him. But that also made it difficult for her, because she had to choose between three categories and whatever she chooses that would it be. Some romantic movie together with Nick would be great, but with all her siblings around? She bet, Evelin suggested this only to experience her interactions with Nick during the movie. An action movie was not exactly her métier, she always had enough action in her life. An action comedy like Nick suggested would boil down to something like Bad Paws or Zootopia Hills Cop. But then she had an idea.

"I go for the action comedy…" Nick made a fist pump. "…but I want Evelin to choose the movie." Nicks face froze and Evelin grinned, now making a fist pump on her part. Ralph winked at Judy.

"Still the mediator of the masses. You should go into politics, Ju."

"Politics are boring and full of machinations. You cannot make the world a better place by only making a speech. You have to just do things right away."

"Hear ye!" Ralph snickered.

"I have to go now, guys. Interrogation of the witnesses and of the suspect." Judy smiled into the round. "We talk this evening, Nick." She tried to give him a quick kiss on his cheek, but Nick turned around in the right moment and they shared a not-so-quick kiss on their snout. "Sly Fox." She snickered.

"Dumb bunny. Be careful, Judy." Nick seemed to be still considerate about her. "I love you."

"Me too." She gave him a quick kiss on his check again, then waved goodbye to her siblings and walked out of the cafeteria."

After a while sitting around the table and chatting, Evelin suggested to go outside for a walk.

"Are you sure?" Nick questioned. "I mean, I cannot drive the wheelchair by myself with one arm broken, and I don't want any of you have to push me around."

"That will be me, Nick!" Ralph jumped off his chair and smiled friendly. I don't mind, and we don't want to run a half marathon like you and Judy did." He winked at him, then all of the smaller siblings hopped onto Nicks' lap.

"Yeeeeaaah, driving around with Nicky!", Nick guessed that was Annie shouting full of joy.

"But only, if you all sit down and hold on to my arm, so no one is going to fall down." Nick instructed the little bunnies. "If that is okay for you?" he smiled in Evelin's direction who nodded also smiling. She walked before and made a few photos of the group.

"You would be a great father; you know that?" Evelin winked at him.

Nick was too distracted to notice the undertone in Evelin's voice. "I had a wonderful dad, but we had a hard time together. I want my own children to have a really great time with me; something they look back on with joy when they are grown up." Nick had a really affectionate smile on his face while tinkering with the smaller rabbit's little ears. Evelin squatted and made a quick photo before the moment would fade away. Nick did not even notice but played with her young siblings. Evelin view the last picture on her phone with a big smile and immediately send it to Judy's phone, adding a message: _'I don't know where you found this treasure, but you should do anything necessary to hold him tight. And when he is already so affectionate with your sisters, he will be an awesome dad for your own kits. :-* 3_ '

* * *

Judy quickly arrived at the victim's house with her motorbike. She put the helmet off onto the handlebar and took a look at her phone: 2 new messages from Evelin; a photo and a short message. Judy gazed at the photo with a smile. It shows Nick playing with her five small siblings, looking at them with a moonily and lost in thought gaze. Obvious he did not notice Evelin making the photo, that made it all so naturally. She read the message from her sister and her heartbeat accelerated instantaneously. Maybe she could talk with Eve about having her own family and kits; later. Judy closed her phone and put it back in her pocket. She reallocates her police badge on a chain around her neck and walked towards the front door of the house.

Judy knocked and had to wait for a moment. It took a while until she heard some feet walking towards the door. The door unclenched for a crack and a rabbit about her height was visible. "Yes, please?"

"Hello, my name is Office Hopps from ZPD. I am investigating the zooicide of Mister Leep at his workshop." Judy spoke slowly and even somewhat sensitive. She did not want to frighten any members of the family even more. The other rabbit did not answer, but opened the door more wildly. "I have just a few short questions to you. Maybe I can get in for a few minutes?" Judy now spoke with a bit more authority in her voice; that did the trick. The rabbit opened the door for her and turned toward their living room.

"Of course, come in Officer Hopps. My name is John; Aaron was my father." He leads Judy into the small room, sit down himself on a sofa and pointed to an armchair for Judy to sit down, too. "Excuse me, please if I am indiscreet, but are you related with the Hopps family here in Bunnyburrow? You have quite a familiar ring…" John looked pensively in her direction and Judy nodded.

"My name is Judy Hopps, we were in the same school class for a few years." She smiled a little bit. It was always helpful if you could make a connection to witnesses or suspects. They are speaking more freely then.

"Judy! Wow, you really made it to the ZPD. Of course I heard about it, but to see you again in person is really something else."

"I think so." Judy smiled lightly. "Unfortunately our meeting is not under the best circumstances." She looked sympathetically to John. "I'm very sorry about what happened to your father, John. Maybe you could tell me, what you still know? For one, when did you last see him alive or talked to him?"

John leaned back and sighs. "We had a small argument on the evening before. He cancelled all open orders and I had to talk to a lot of angry customers in person or on the phone. We had an argument about why he cancelled them. His temperament was always somewhat erratic, and in the last month since Moms dead it was getting worse."

"Did he name you a reason for cancelling the open orders?"

"No, he just said he would not finish them. We argued for a while, but I went home alone after he slung a wooden chair in my direction. He missed me, but hit the wooden fence to our neighbor and the chair chattered in pieces. When Mister Tailor shouted from his bedroom window to shut it off, I leave dad alone and walked back home."

"Did your father argue along with Frank Tailor?"

"I heard him shouting some curses and other swearwords, but I think Mister Tailor shut his window close"

"Okay…" Judy made a few notes on her own. "You did not wait for your father to come home this evening and went to bed around half past eleven, is that correct?" John nodded and Judy continued. "And you did not take a look in his bedroom when he did not come for breakfast?"

"He is a… sorry, was a late riser. We were not allowed to wake him before noon at the earliest. But when I took a look in his room his bed was unused from the night. I guessed he had slept in the workshop, and…"

"Did he often slept in the workshop instead of coming home?" Judy interrupted him.

"Not in the past. But since Sarah, my Mom, died he spent more and more time in his workshop. So staying a night was not that unusual."

"Okay, so you assumed that he had slept in the workshop. What did you do next?"

"I packed something for lunch together to bring it to him. Most of the days when he slept there he did not come home for lunch neither."

"What time was it approximately?"

"I left the house around one o'clock I think. The bells of the church-clock just finished when I put on my jacket." Judy made a few more notes and waited. "I arrived at the workshop perhaps 10 minutes later, maybe 15. The front door was still closed, the window shutters closed and I could see no light within the shop. So I called his name a few times and walked around the building…" John stopped and sniffed quietly.

"I know this is hard, John." Judy leaned forward and putting a paw on his knee. "Just finish when you are ready. Every detail may be important."

The other rabbit twitched his nose and nodded slightly. "I… I found Aar… I mean Dad… laying on his back. There was blood everywhere on his clothing and on the floor. I ran to him and I… I…" he discontinued and sobbed, his head put into his paws.

Judy waited for a while to let John settle down a bit. Then she asked: "Did you noticed anything unusual? Something that did not belong there or was missing? An unfamiliar sound? A different smell?" John interrupted her quickly.

"Fireworks!"

"Excuse me?"

"It smelled like fireworks were ignited." Judy squinted contemplative. One of the principal constituents of fireworks is black gunpowder. Nick also mentioned the smell of it, his sense of smell must really be extraordinary when he could smell it on her after a full day. But why gunpowder on a knife attack? This didn't make any sense. "Is this smell of fireworks important?" Johns question interrupted Judy's thoughts.

"Maybe. Can you tell me, if your father had worked with gunpowder lately?"

"Not that I know. But I can take a look at the workshop if we have some in stock."

"Thank you, but that will not be necessary. I already inspected the whole workshop and did not found anything like that."

"Maybe I am wrong with this firework smell. Tailor killed him with a knife, not with a gun. Perhaps he started a firework out of joy after he killed dad." John sounded angry and frustrated. "What will happen with him?"

"With Mister Frank Tailor? He is in investigative custody; I will have a talk with him later."

"I always liked his son, Thomas." John had a sad look in his eyes. "It did not matter for me that they are wolfs. They were always nice to me, and now and then I got a free doughnut or a piece of cake. Dad didn't like them. He is very old fashioned, you know. … Sorry, I mean he was. I did not really sink in; always believe he will come out of the shop every moment and yell at us or the neighbors for nothing. He really hated all predators. Mom had an affair with a ferret a few years ago. When she got cancer, Dad always ranted, that this predator gave her this disease. It was nonsense, but as he never could stand them it was a welcomed excuse. " John turned to Judy and looked resolute. "My father was not a nice man and he had quite a few bad sides, but he has not earned to be murdered! Can you promise me to bring Frank Tailor to justice for this?"

Judy replied his resolute gaze and said: "I promise you to bring the culprit to justice for the murder on your father. May it be Frank Tailor or anybody else, I still have to see, John."

The male rabbit nodded, then asked: "Can I help you with anything else, Officer Hopps?"

"Thank you, I have no further questions at the moment."

He accompanied Judy to the front door and they said goodbye. Judy put her helmet on and swing up on the motorbike. " _Next stop, Frank Tailor._ " She said more to herself and drove off, back to the police precinct.

* * *

"Hello Judy!" Dora Croach greeted her when she entered the small police station. Judy waved her a short greeting and approached her desk.

"I want to interrogate Mister Frank Tailor now. Could you guide me to the cell block?"

"Of course, my dear. Just down the corridor and the last door on the right side. Mister Tailor is currently the only inmate we have." She opened a drawer and took something out of it. "Here is the keycard. Do you need a Taser?"

"I don't think so. Thanks Dora." Judy took the keycard and walked down the corridor towards the cell block. She swiped the keycard in and entered another corridor. On both sides were two cells, each with a toilet, a basin, and a cot. In the first cell on the right sits an elderly wolf on the cot, his head put down into his hands. A metal tablet with a bowl of now cold stew and a loaf of bread are standing right beside him, as well as a plastic bottle of water.

"Hello, Mister Frank Tailor?" Judy stood in front of the cell doors and put out her notebook and a pencil.

"No, I am just a visitor who just checked in here." Frank Tailor snarled angrily.

"Mister Tailor, my name is Officer Judy Hoops from the Zootopia Police Department."

"Oh great, they send the VIP dolly-bird to put me behind bars." Frank Tailor laughed spiteful.

"Mister Tailor, please. I was sent here to investigate in the zooicide of Aaron Leep. You are currently under a cloud because we found the presumably weapon involved in the crime in your storage room. What can you tell me about this?" Judy's voice was calm and steady, she tried to establish a relationship to the suspect.

"Maybe you plant the knife there!"

"Sir, please. If you want to submit an official complaint, I can give you a printed form for that. My only duty is to investigate in this case and uncover the truth." Judy waited for a response, but Frank didn't say anything to her, just leaning against the wall, looking at her.

"Currently you are nothing more than a witness to me, not yet a suspect. But when you prefer to stay quiet, I will not hear your side of the story. So, maybe you really killed your neighbor out of a sudden, maybe you did nothing. But without your witness report the truth will never get public. It is your decision…" she shrugged with her shoulders and turned around to go.

"I did not do any harm to this rabbit…" the wolf mumbled and Judy stopped. "We had an argument the night before, but I did not leave my bedroom."

Judy turned around again and walked back to the cell door. "I talked with Mister Leeps son, John. He was present when you opened the window and began shouting to the victim."

"Yes, of course! It was already past ten in the evening, I had less than five hours to sleep, and Mister Leep was throwing one of his temper tantrums, shattering furniture in his drive and against our fence. I shouted some angry words down to him and saw his son was walking away; I hoped that their argument was over and I got a few hours of sleep."

"You closed your windows and your blinds, corresponding to the testimony of John Leep."

"Yeah."

"Did you hear anything else this evening? Or does anything else happened?"

Frank Tailor was looking contemplative. He tried to remember some more details of the relevant evening. "There was … I don't know, some rumbling outside. Like wood falling on wood or something similar. But that was nothing uncommon. I found diverse wooden blocks, small stones and suchlike in my backyard and my storage rooms in the last few weeks. Not always, I think a few kids were throwing them. Some test of courage or something like that. It was nothing important, the old Aaron would have thrown bigger stones into my windows or even stink bombs; but something to do some harm, not such unimportant things."

"Well, one of those _unimportant things_ is a knife with blood from Mister Frank Tailor. It was found in your storage, just like you described other small things you found there lately."

"You think, that someone had placed it there?"

"I think, that is something I will investigate further. But let's suppose someone placed the murder weapon there. Who wants to outsmart you? Do you have any enemies?"

"You mean besides Frank? I don't think so. Even he was not a real enemy. We always had arguments, but nothing really important. He was just a bellyacher, and after he lost his wife Sarah it became even worse. He was really spoiling for a fight, tried to provoke me or my son Thomas whenever he could. I pity him, really." Then Mister Tailor stand up and walked up to the cell door. "I swear faithfully, that I did no harm to Aaron Leep!"

Judy eyed the wolf slowly, he ears twitched a bit; then she made a few notes. "Thank you, Mister Tailor. I promise you, that if you are really innocent, that you will get free." She nodded in his direction.

"Thank you, Hopps… I mean Officer. You listened to my side of this, that is more then I got until now. I trust in you." And with this words he sat down again on his pallet and looked down to the floor. Judy left the cell block, walked back to the front desk and gave Dora the keycard back.

"Thank you, Dora. Can I speak to Sheriff Darcy for a moment? I promised him a report this afternoon." Judy smiled friendly.

"Oh, I fear he called it a day already. He is no longer in the office then five o'clock. I go at six when our night watchman Hardy arrived."

"Oh…" Judy looked irritated, the attitude of work seemed to be laxer on the countryside. "What about my daily report?"

"Your daily…? My dear, why would you have a daily report for him? Just make a report for the case file when everything is done. We don't want to suffocate in a flood of papers." Dora laughed heartedly. "You should call it a day, too, my dear! Go home and message your parents my best wishes!"

"Sure thing…" Judy said slowly, then walked out of the office. She looked on her phone: It was half past five and a wonderful sunny afternoon in Bunnyburrow. She took a decision with a wide smile, putting on the helmet and drove off with the motorbike.

* * *

"Hey, Nick!" Judy walked into his room where Nick sat in his bed, reading some magazines. The fox put them immediately aside and smiled to his rabbit.

"Hey, carrots! You are back early; I did not anticipate you for another two hours at least to be honest." He patted with his right hand on a spot beside him on the bed.

Judy smiled and walked to him, giving him a quick kiss and sitting down on the side of the bed. "The local sheriff apparently has an 8 to 5 job; he even doesn't want me to hand in daily reports."

"Wow! Are there any open positions to apply for?" Nick grinned and Judy rolled her eyes.

"You really wouldn't miss the big city out here?"

"Most probably, but what about you? You could be both, a cop and near your family."

"Don't get me wrong, Nick. I really love my family and those short visits from time to time are really great! But that is the point: They are short. After a certain age you love your family still, but that doesn't mean you want to share your whole free time with them."

"I know, carrots. I am a estray myself, you know? But you bunnies? Until I met you I thought you only live in a pack or burrow, meeting one of you alone is rather rare."

"Yeah, those of us that left the burrow did only to establish their own families."

Both were quiet for a while, everyone letting the mind wander for himself. Judy eventually stood up and walked to the corner of the room, where their backpack lay. She started to undress her motorbike suite; but Nick was the first to speak again.

"Do you want it, too?" he asked quietly, but as far as Judy could tell his heartbeat was calm, too.

"Do I want what?" she asked indifferent while pulling off her pants.

"Do you want to start a family on your own?" Nick asked without getting too nervous.

"You mean to marry, living in my own house, having a few little kits, …?" She also pulled off her blouse and stand there in her underwear, watching Nick. The fox laid his head to one side and let his eyes wander over Judy's body that was in peak condition and absolutely adorably.

"Yes, all of that." Nick nodded slowly, but without taking his eyes off of her.

"I am not sure…" Judy said slowly, walking over to his bed. Nick's ears drooped a bit. Judy perceived it and smiled, while putting her paw on his cheek. "You need two animals to start a family, and I can only speak for myself, you know? If you would have asked me last month, I would have answered you straight, that I have absolutely no intentions of starting my own family. But… something changed since then." Judy was caressing Nicks fur with her paw, stroking his cheek, behind his ears and his neck.

"Yes?" Nick closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed her petting.

"Oh, absolutely. I'm totally in love with someone. And the first time in my live I gave this family-idea some serious thoughts. More than ever after I saw this special someone with my little siblings and how great they got along with each other. That was the exact moment when I fantasized about me and this special someone having some own kits and what a wonderful dad he would be… but…" Judy sat on the side of the bed, tickling Nicks chest fur and rubbing her own cheeks along his, leaving her scent on him.

"But…?" Nick took a deep breath when he smelled her scenting him, it was nearly taking over his mind and his heartbeat accelerated. When he opened his eyes again, he had a longing look towards Judy.

"But… I am relatively shy and unskilled in such things, like asking your special someone what his thoughts are. As I said, you need two animals to start a family. And if you say the wrong thing at the wrong time, maybe your special someone is scared and will run away." She stoked with her paw over his head and ears, but stopped eventually and looked him in the eyes.

Nick opened his eyes and gazed immediately into Judy's wonderful, charming eyes with endless deepness. He could totally lose himself in those eyes, Nick thought to himself. He sensed, what an overcoming it must have been for Judy to say those things to him now. She really was an innocent bunny when it came to emotions like love. But Nick didn't mind, he was so totally in love with her, that it was physically hurting him when she left him alone. His former self would have made a sly slogan now; but after Judy opened her heart for him, he just could not do such a thing. He wanted to ease her, give her all the protection and safety she needs. And yes, he also was ready to start whatever goal this rabbit has get into her head to do.

"Judy…" Nicks voice was soft and full of affection. "I love you so much, and I also would love to have children of our own."

"Really?" Judy sounded relieved but also incredibly happy.

"Living in our own house, marrying you, even having our own burrow if this is what you want. I would do everything for you, just to see you happy!" Nick said with a smile and kissed her softly. But Judy put her paws immediately around his head and replied to his kiss as passionate as she could.

"Wait a moment…" Judy suddenly froze, and stared disbelieving down to the fox. "Did you just propose to me?"

Nick laughed. "That's a matter of opinion, carrots. How big is the chance, I will get the mercy of your father for this?" he winked at her.

"Hm, I don't know. How big is the chance that you will transform into a handsome, carrot-loving rabbit?" Judy laughed, too.

"Okay, then it was no proposal. But a promise that I will ask you in the near future again." Nick suggested with a smile. "I first have a mission to win him over, to prove myself worthy."

"Scout honor?" Judy asked with a smile.

"Scout honor!" Nick put up his right paw.

"By the way, when you come to my parents' house tomorrow. I thought about the little present you made before we come here."

"The picture of you winning, fist pumping and jumping. Yepp, it's still in the bag with the medal." Nick assured her. "And I still want to give it to them." He winked.

"That's okay. But I framed a second picture today. And I think it will be a great present, too…" Judy jumped from the bed, still in her underwear, and picked up a small paper bag with a frame in it. She carried it within the bag back to Nick, then pulled it out and showed it to him. It was one of the pictures Ralph had taken today: Nick sat in his wheelchair, three little bunnies on his lap drawing on his arm cast, Bobby was trying to hug his tail with his little arms and on Nicks shoulder sat Annie, playing with his ears and tying a little bow around it. Judy was standing behind him, leaning over and putting her arms around his upper body, rubbing her cheek against his, smiling happily; aside was Evelin squatting, with entangled arms on his armrest and her head leaning on top. Judy loved this picture, it was full of positive emotions and affection, she already had made it her background image of her phone. Now it was printed in a big format and put in a wooden frame. Nick gazed the picture for a long moment, and when he spoke Judy noticed he was really affected by it:

"It's perfect."

He took the frame from Judy's paws, putting it on the chair besides the bed. Then he grabbed her with his healthy arm and lift her onto the bed, right beside him.

"I cannot find suitable words to express even roughly how much you mean to me, Judy Hopps." Nicks eyes were filled with tears, but he was smiling. "I love you so much and nothing will ever change this."

Judy got all emotional by herself and as an answer gave him a passionate kiss.


	9. 1x09 - Breakfast at Hopps

It was the common morning chaos at family Hopps house: All adult house members help preparing the breakfast for all children / siblings still living with them, take care that all school-aged kits are properly dressed and catch the busses, doing the dishes, collecting the laundry from all rooms and do the housework, e.g. cleaning and the laundry, after a fixed schedule. The day starts at six in the morning and it takes normally about three hours until Bonnie and Stu can breathe deeply. But not for long, because they have to bring some late breakfast to those at the market stall that left early with their wares. The complete household worked like a well calibrated machine. But like with every precise machinery it only takes one grain of sand to bring everything to a complete halt. The sand grain for the Hopps' this morning was a fire in one of the three kitchens. It could be kept under control quickly, but they now had only two kitchens left for all meals to cook, and Stu would have to do some repairs and renovations first. And he was not in a good mood even prior to that kitchen disaster; Nicks' discharge from the hospital would be in the afternoon. He promised Bonnie, Evelin and Judy to behave comme il faut, but he did not yet quite internalize that he would have a fox in his house for the next few days. It was hard to ignore all bias he had against these mammals. But for the sake of Judy he would try his best. So instead of Stu, the oven decided to explode. No one was harmed, but now there was real chaos instead of regular.

"Ralph, can you please help Evelin with your siblings? Annie has started a small revolt because she wants to wait for Nick instead of going to school." Bonnie exclaimed to her son over the sound of dinnerware falling to the floor and breaking into a thousand pieces. "Oh come on, this must be a bloody joke!" She shooed away some younger kits and squatted to pick up the broken pieces.

"Is everything okay?" Miriam asked rushing into the dining room where the noise came from. She was a greyish rabbit, around 19 years old and a little bit smaller than Judy and Evelin. Her brown ears twitched when she heard her mother picking up the broken rest of the dishes. "Wait, Mom, I get a dustpan!" Miriam rushed away again.

Stu gazed through the door with half a dozen small rabbits in his arm. "Honey, I have to drive Jessica's litter to the school with my truck, we missed the school bus!" And in the same second he was gone again. Bonnie sighs and picked up some of the larger shards when Miriam came back with the dustpan and a hand-brush.

"It's okay Mom, I will get this done." She said quickly with a smile, squatted and started to brush the broken pieces together.

"Thank you, my dear." Bonnie stood back up, then noted some blood on her paw. "Oh dear, I think I have cut myself…" She walked to the sink and holding her paw under running cold water. ' _And it is only half past eight in the morning._ ' Bonnie Hopps thought.

* * *

"Good morning, Mister Wilde. How is your headache today?" Doctor Greenwood was making his first ward round.

"It is much better then yesterday, thank you." Nick appeared somewhat sleepy but smiled nevertheless.

"What about vomiting? Any feeling of dizziness?"

"No, nothing."

"Well…" the doctor hesitates for a moment, looking at a point beside Nicks' bed. Then he turned his face back to his patient. "I want to do some final examinations today. Also we will change your bandages again and take the stitches out. Your wounds are healing better than expected, congratulations. But you should still keep it slow for a while, and _no physical strain_." He emphasized the last words somewhat funny, or did Nick just imagined that? Judy was sitting on the chair, holding his paw and now rose to speak.

"Do you think you can discharge him today like planned?"

Doctor Greenwood looked thoughtful at Nick's medical journal. "It seems so; his data looks very promising. But my final go depends on the results of the final tests." He smiled soothing and winked. "Don't worry, you get your fox back faster than you think." Judy's ears burned from embarrassment; then his look fixated again something beside the bed for a short moment. With some hesitation he added a question. "Only one last thing. Did you consider if I should give Doctor Alisson in Zootopia a call?"

Judy embraced Nicks' paw firmly and did not answer immediately. He instead nodded: "I think that would be very nice, thank you Doctor Greenwood." Nick offered a friendly smile and he could _smell_ how embarrassed Judy was at this moment; he stroked her back of the paw with his thumb and Judy relaxed a bit.

"That's that." Doctor Greenwood said with a smile. "The nurse will pick you up in half an hour for your tests, and we will see us for our closing meeting at 3 o'clock." He turned his head to Judy with an inquiring look.

"I will be there, too, Doctor Greenwood." Judy smiled and nodded to him. The old rabbit bid farewell and closed the door behind, and Judy finally breathed deeply. "That was a close call. A few seconds earlier and we would have been caught red-handed." She laughed nervously. Nick, who has looked to the side of the bed where Doctor Greenwood had stand a minute ago, was snickering.

"I think we _have_ been caught red-handed, carrots."

"What do you m…" Nick picked up Judy's bra she had tossed away last night in a hurry and that was hanging on one of the frames of the bed the whole time. "…sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy clapped aghast her paws over her mouth, but Nick just laughed.

* * *

It was a quarter to nine when Judy left the hospital in her motorcycle suite again. Nick was collected for his final tests when she kissed him goodbye – ' _Caught by the nurse, too!_ ' she thought – and now she was on her way to the crime scene again. The last time she had not investigated the neighbor site, where the bloody knife was found. When she arrived a younger wolf, but very similar in his appearance to Frank Tailor, was waiting in front of the bakery.

"Hello, my name is Officer Hopps. Are you Mister Thomas Tailor?" Judy spoke friendly but also dictatorial to show the wolf that she has no fear because of him.

"Yes Ma'am. I got a message that you want to meet me here at nine. May I ask when I can reopen the bakery? We have a lot of customers who are waiting just now." Thomas said calm, but Judy recognized his indignant fast heartbeat.

"Well, this is still a crime scene and I have to do some further investigations. But I think I can clear your shop during the course of the day." Judy answered and Thomas chuntered something, but finally nodded.

"Okay, thank you officer."

"May I ask you some questions, Mister Tailor?"

"I wasn't at home; I do not know nothing." He sounded frustrated.

"You were delivering goods to your customers when your delivery van broke down. You spend the night in a Motel, about 40 kilometers away?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"When did you come back?"

"I arrived right at the moment when the sheriff arrested my Dad in front of a dozen customers." Thomas snarled.

"Did you like Mister Aaron Leep?" Judy asked indifferent.

"I did not want him dead, Ma'am!"

"This is not what I asked, Mister Tailor. I just wanted to know if you liked him."

"He was a contentious drunkard, who made life miserable for me and my dad. Even for his own family as far as I know. He spoiled for a fight on sight! He…" Thomas breathed deeply, then said slowly: "No, Officer. I did not like him." Then he added with a glaring gaze: "But I did not shoot him!"

Judy dashed at his words: "Why do you think he was shoot?"

Thomas seemed to be irritated. "I… just supposed it, I guessed. I don't know. He wasn't shoot then?"

"Your father told me, you had trouble with some kids in the last weeks?" Judy continued without answering his question, and when Thomas looked inquiring to her she added: "He reported, there were sticks and small stones thrown in your backyard on-again-off-again." Thomas nodded slowly.

"Yeah, nothing notably. They did not break anything, so we never pressed charges against some unknown. We thought it may be kits doing some test of courage or something similar."

Judy noted something in her notebook, then addressed Thomas again. "Can you show me where exactly you found those things?"

"Sure, Ma'am. Please follow me…" Thomas abled towards the front door of the bakery, getting some keys from his pocket. "It is back in our storage."

Judy followed Thomas through the bakery and into their storage. There were two windows on the right side of the room. Alongside the left wall were big shelfs with supplies and kitchen equipment. At the front wall was a cold storage room and on the right side were big sacks stacked, filled with sugar and different kinds of flour. The rabbit let her eyes wander and examined the corner where the knife was found corresponding to her papers. Then she addressed the young wolf again.

"Where did you found those stones and sticks?"

"A few laid there on the flour sacks, a few in the corner were you currently are and a few times we found them over there in the middle of the room."

"When was the first time you noted those things?"

"Perhaps five weeks ago, maybe six."

"Mh-Mh." Judy made a few notes, then let her eyes wander again. "I will have to take a few photos and make a true to scale sketch. This may take a while, Mister Tailor."

"I can give you a blueprint of this and the other rooms, if you need one?" Thomas offered, then added because of Judy's inquiring look: "We planned to make some reconstructions, therefore we have the blueprints at our fingertips."

"Well, that would be of great benefit, Mister Tailor. Thank you!"

Judy started to make a few photos of the room, the windows, the flour sacks and all other interior while Thomas Tailor walked to the office to get the promised blueprints. After he handed the rabbit the plan, Judy measured again a few important points to make sure the blueprints were still up-to-date. After a while she nodded satisfied and walked back to the main shop, where the wolf was waiting for her.

"Can you lead me to the bedroom of your father, please?"

The wolf raised his eyebrows but nodded. He leads Judy to another door with stairs behind that went directly to the living quarters. They went down a corridor and Thomas opened a wooden door. "This is my fathers' bedroom." Judy nodded and entered the room. She only seemed interested in the only window, opened it and looked outside. She made again some photos, closed the window again and went back to Thomas who was waiting in the doorframe.

"I think I now have everything that I need. Do you want to supplement anything else to your testimony Mister Tailor?" she asked and looked friendly to the wolf.

"No, Ma'am."

"Okay, you can remove the barrier tape for your shop then." She filled out a form and put her signature at the bottom. "Here is your receipt that the shutoff of your property is officially raised. I apologize for the trouble caused."

Thomas snorted, took the receipt and leads Judy back to the shop where she bid farewell and left the bakery. She had a lot to think about now. The rabbit sat on the motorbike and drove off to the police station.

* * *

"Ralph, could you please answer the door?" Stu shouted from under the cupboard. He had dismounted the defect oven and was now checking the electrical connections. Actually he would have been at the market stall by now, but repairing the kitchen had a higher priority in a household of over 200 rabbits.

"It's Gideon, Pa." Ralph entered the kitchen with the fox.

"Hi, M-Mister Hopps!"

"Hand me the phasing tester, please!" Stu loudly said without looking up. Ralph let his eyes wander but Gideon found it first. "Thanks Gideon."

"I will leave you two alone, Jennifer needs my help with the laundry." Ralph said and disappeared through the door.

"Trouble with the o…oven, eh?" Gideon guessed while looking at the sooty old oven.

"Yep. Caught fire this morning, a short circuit I just fixed." Stu said while re-appearing from under the cupboard. "Sorry, I forgot your delivery!" the rabbit suddenly realized.

"N-No problem. Really! It is just unusual for you to be tardy, so I wanted to make sure everything is alright." Gideon smiled to Stu Hopps.

"Today everything is going higgledy-piggledy, not to mention we have still prepare everything for Judy's fox… I mean friend… fox-friend… boyfriend that is." Stu seemed to be edgy but Gideon didn't mention it.

"She has a fox boyfriend?" he sounded amazed and made big eyes.

"Well… yeah…" Stu still wasn't comfortable with this topic, particularly discussing it with Gideon.

"You don't seem to b-be very happy w-with it, Mister Hopps, are you?"

"To be honest, I have some reservations. After all I am only a worried father, ye 'now."

Gideon smiled. "L-Let me guess, foxes are trustless a-and are s-self-serving?" he winked at the old rabbit. Stu didn't answer and Gideon continued. "Don't w-worry, Mister Hopps. As a fox I h-hear such things a-all of the t-time. And you just w-want to protect Judy, d-don't you?"

Stu was twitching with a rag in his hands. This conversation was really awkward to him and he smiled awry to Gideon, shrugging. "She is my little princess…"

"W-well, I don't want to i-interfere, Mister Hopps." Gideon slowly continued. "B-but you should know a thing o-or two about fox relationships…"

* * *

It was half past two when Judy finished her report to Sheriff Darcy. He had listen to all the things she had done in the last 24 hours regarding the case.

"Your really were on the go, Judy." He smiled at her. "And what are your conclusions? Is Tailor our contravener?"

"I'm not feeling confident about that." Judy said after thinking for a moment. "I just gave you my first report. I'm still waiting for the postmortem examination report from the coroner and a few laboratory tests. I send the samples to our forensic lab in Zootopia and should get the results by tomorrow."

"Your young folk and your gadgets" the hart laughed friendly. "In my young days we did not have all this. But we got our contraveners nevertheless."

"I just want to do my job thoroughly, Mike." Judy replied his smile with a wink.

"That's okay, Judy. You don't have to hurry, take your time. Mister Tailor isn't going to run away and there seem to be no other suspects at the moment."

Judy were disagreeing with Sheriff Darcy, but she was clever enough to not speaking it out loud. Instead she nodded and gathered all documents together and put them into her case file. She left the police station ten minutes later and shook her head. " _Take your time…_ " she murmured quietly, rolling her eyes. The work attitude of the local police was jangling her nerves. She took a look at her phone: Ten minutes to three, she would have to hurry to be on time.

* * *

"What's the matter Stu? Did you finish the repair of the oven?" Bonnie rushed into the damaged kitchen and saw her husband standing at the window, looking outside. The she noticed the still disassembled oven and stopped short. "Hon?" She put her bandaged paw on his shoulder and the male rabbit cringed.

"Oh. Sorry, dear. I was absorbed in my thoughts. What did you say… oh my green carrot! What happened to your paw?" Stu turned around and grasped his wife's paw carefully with his.

Bonnie waved aside. "I just cut myself on some broken dishes. Nothing serious, Stu." She smiled exhausted. "This forenoon really seemed to be jinxed." And when she noted her husbands' look she quickly added. "No, it has nothing to do with Nick being discharged today!"

Stu smiled but seemed to be a little sad nevertheless. "That's not what I was thinking about, hon."

"But?"

"I had a talk with Gideon…"

"Ah! Oh, no, we forgot todays delivery of fruits, didn't we?"

"No… I mean yes, we did!" Stu waved the forgotten fruits aside like an annoying bug. "But we did not talk about those. Well, at least not at the beginning." Bonnie looked bemused, Stu seemed to be more rattled as usual, but she waited patiently. "We talked about Judy… and Nick."

"Oh…?" Bonnie feared that Stu could have said something by accident that disgruntled Gideon. He was at least a good customer. But this was also the first time, her husband named the fox by his name.

"I always thought about foxes that they are… you know… on the go. It was always one of my biggest fears, that Judy is only a liaison for this fox and he would leave her with a broken heart. I would hate that! She is my little princess…"

"Oh, Stu…" Bonnie put her hand back on his shoulder. "You cannot protect her from everything."

"Yes… I mean no, I cannot, I know. But Gideon… he explained me, that foxes aren't polygamous at all! They search a partner and mate for life."

"But, that's a good thing, Stu!" Bonnie smiled widely to him.

"Yes, it is. On the one hand. But when I am mistaken about Nicks intentions, don't you see the implications of this?"

"What could be bad, when you are wrong this time? Our daughter will not get her heart broken by a Casanova, like you worried the whole time is a good thing, isn't it?"

"Bonnie!" Stu took his wife with both paws at her shoulders and looked with a wild mix of emotions into her eyes. "If he really loves our Judy like she always said, he will eventually marry her for sure!"

In Bonnies eyes were happiness and amazement alternating. "Oh… oh!"

* * *

They sat in a threesome in Doctor Greenwood office and looked at some X-ray photographs on a light board.

"As you can see, the fracture of the right femur is smooth and not very large. It will still take a few weeks to heal, but I don't expect any complications." The old rabbit was pointing to the first picture, showing the radiogram of Nick's leg. "The ancon is intact, which is good news. We weren't sure about this because of the tumescence. The forearm isn't split, but we had to apply two screws as you can see on this picture." He again pointed to one radiogram, this time with two clearly visible screws. Judy grimaced but Nick put smiling his paw on hers to ease her. "I think this will heal equally well, but it may take two months, perhaps ten weeks until we can get rid of this cast, too."

Nick smiled with relief and Judy kissed him on his paw, smiling too. Doctor Greenwood smiled lightly, then continued. Your head wound is looking good after we took the stitches out. There may remain a small scar, but it should not be visible under normal circumstances through your fur. Also we didn't realize any neurological deficits." He added with a sly smile: "That is, disregarding your sarcasm. But I think that has nothing to do with your head wound." Judy laughed at Nicks' dumbfounded look and Doctor Greenwood winked.

"Your abdominal wound is also in a very good state. I think we can take the stitches out in a few days. Until than I want to see you daily in our clinic for a change of bandage. There will be a scar staying behind, but not too many animals will get to see it I guess." He winked again.

"By no means!" Judy snickered and Nick sighed.

"When my good looks are my top capital. Ouch!" Nick rubbed his side where Judy had poked him with her elbow, and grinned.

"On the whole, you were really lucky Mister Wilde!" The old rabbit cleared his throat and continued with a smile. "But you should keep it down for a while. And as long as you have those casts you are only allowed for desk duty. But at the earliest starting next week, when all stitches are out and no inflammation happened." He took a look in Nicks medical journal. "As I can read here, you are living alone…?"

"Well… that's true… technically speaking." Nick grabbed the back of his head with his right paw and smiled awry.

"On a practically side, you could need some assistance from time to time. As I previously said, you should keep it down." He looked at Judy with a soft smile.

"No worries, Doctor Greenwood. Each of us has technically his own apartment, but we are either both at his or mine together. I will support Nick as much as I can." She smiled with pleasant anticipation.

"Hmm…" Nick looked contemplative. "Maybe we can have some of those lab co… OUCH!" he rubbed his side again, snickering, while Judy scowled at him and tumbled with her feet on the floor. "All right, carrots! No costume then." He bends over to her and gave her a kiss on her head between her ears.

"One last thing…" Doctor Greenwood started again and reminded them thus of his presence. Nick smiled while Judy leaned against the chair embarrassed. "I called Doctor Kathrin Alisson for you and send her your medical journal, Mister Wilde." He handed the fox a business card of Doctor Alisson, then addressed Judy. "If you agree I can submit yours, too, Miss Hopps. As I said, you need a family doctor close-by and she is specialized on inter-species-relationships."

"Okay, if you think so." Judy spoke quietly and the doctor nodded.

"Great, that's that! I will make your documents ready and will submit them in the next few days." Then the old rabbit turned to Nick again. "I will prepare your discharge papers and an attestation for the ZPD. You said, you are taking care of him at home?" The last sentence was addressed to Judy, who eagerly nodded. "I will make some papers ready therefor, too. You can take a seat in our waiting area in the lobby, a nurse will hand you all necessary papers in about half an hour." He stands up, and so did Judy and Nick. Doctor Greenwood shakes hand with both of them and smiled. "We will see each other on your daily check-up. Get well soon, Mister Wilde! Miss Hopps." he nodded and they bid farewell.

* * *

"Do you have to go back to work today again, Judy?" Nick using her real name, the slight tremor in his voice and his palpitating heartbeat; they were all indications, that the idea of staying at the Hopps' house without Judy on his first day out of the hospital was nothing he would be thrilled of. Judy smiled softly and firmly squeezed his paw.

"Don't worry, Nick. I took the rest of the day off as I still have to wait for some reports. But don't be afraid of my parents." She winked smiling.

"I am _not_ afraid! Just… a little… worried. What about your older brother?"

"Joshua? He and his family were driving homeward two days ago. And as far as I can tell my other siblings are more than welcoming you. Evelin and Ralph promised to keep an eye on you when I am out and about. And Annie has made quite a list of animated cartoons you have to watch with her." She snickered and Nick smiled softly.

"She is really adorable, you know." Nick said with a moony smile. "Actually most of your brothers and sisters are really nice."

"Yes, they are. Most of the time." Judy winked.

"Well, and how do we get there? I don't think I can take a piggyback ride on your motorbike with my casts." Nick pointed to his casted leg.

"I messaged Evelin that she can pick you up at four o'clock with the truck, and I will follow you on the bike."

"Sounds like a plan." Nick winked and put his arm around Judy, waiting for the nurse to bring his discharge papers.

* * *

"Okay, Mom. I'm driving to the hospital now to pick up Nick and Judy. Anything I should take to the booth?" Evelin had the keys for the truck in her paw and gazed through the doorframe into the damaged kitchen. Stu had repaired the oven and was now working with the others on the fields. Bonnie was cleaning up everything so the kitchen could be reused for making dinner.

"No, my dear, thank you. Sorry that everything is a bit bustling today, I know you wanted to go out with the girls today." Bonnie said with a sorry look on her face.

"That doesn't matter, Mom. You know, you can always count on my help if you need me. We can go to the city tomorrow, too." Evelin smiled and gave her mother a small kiss on the cheek. "I will be back in half an hour, max." she waved goodbye and walked to the truck, where Annie was already sitting on the driving seat.

"And where do you think you are going, little lady?" Evelin grinned sly and put her paws on her sides.

"I want to pick up Nicky with you!" the little bunny squealed excitedly and clapped with her cute paws.

"Does Mom know where you are?" Evelin looked skeptical and her young sister shook her head. Eve sighed and shouted: "Mom, Annie is coming with me!"

"Okay, see you two later!" Her mom answered promptly and waved through the kitchen window. Annie waved back and Evelin took her with both paws and seated her in the middle.

"Buckle up, Annie …" Evelin waited patiently while her younger sibling put the seatbelt on, then started the engine. "Okay, let's get a fox for our burrow." She winked to her and drove off while Annie was cheering.

The Hopps house was a little aside of the town center and it took them unhurried about ten minutes to arrive at the hospital. "Do you want to wait here for us to come b…" Evelin stopped asking because Annie was already unfastening and reached out with her little arms for her bigger sister to pick her up. "That's that." She laughed and took Annie on her arm from where she quickly crawled on her shoulder like a parrot of a pirate.

They strolled unhurried to the main entrance, but Annie was twitching at Evelin's left ear. "Hey, stop that, grasshopper!" Evelin protested mildly, but Annie exclaimed.

"They are over there, look! Nicky!" the little rabbit was shouting with her high pitched voice and Evelin winced a bit. To her left side was a big parkway to take a walk or to relax. On a park bench near the border of the parking lot sat Nick; Judy sitting across his legs, one arm put around his neck. When they heard Annie's shouting – as supposedly the whole park had – they both looked in their direction and waved. Evelin walked smiling to them.

"Hey, there are you already. And…?" Evelin looked to Nick. "How are you? Everything okay?"

But Nick couldn't answer straight because Annie jumped from Evelin's shoulder into Judy's lap and Nick made a hissing sound. "You must be my white rabbit that leads me into the burrow, right?" he winked to Annie who snickered and gave him a sweet little kiss on Nicks' nose. "Aww, thank you sweetie!" Nick gave Annie also a quick kiss between her ears, then looked up to Evelin. "Wow, my three favorite woman at once, today must be my lucky day!"

Evelin rolled laughing with her eyes and Judy pinched him in his ear. "Ouch!"

"Okay, let's go." Evelin waved them to follow her. "Do you need some help, Nick?"

"Nope, I got a pair of those." Nick picked up two crutches from behind the bench and Judy slipped down on her feed with Annie in her arms. Nick got on his feed by himself, propping with the crutches, and smiled. "Right behind you, Eve."

Although his protests Judy helped Nick getting into the truck and Annie was fasten his seatbelt for him, beaming. "I caught my first fox, too, Judy!" Everyone laughed, then Judy replied with a wink:

"Trapping them isn't the problem, but getting rid of them again." Now everybody but Nick was laughing again. Evelin got on the driving seat and Annie hopped between her and Nick, buckling herself up. "I'm right behind you, we meet at home." Judy waved them goodbye and Evelin started the motor.

When they drove on the road alongside the fields, Nick asked amazed: "Judy told me that all those fields belong to your family?"

"Most of them, yes. But we don't farm all by ourselves, we rent two third of them out to other families. But we still have more than enough work for all of us." Evelin commented proudly.

"You are still living at home?"

"Yepp, I have an education in parenting and work in one of the daycare facilities for children in the town. Helping Mom and Dad with my siblings was a great preparation." Evelin laughed lightly.

"Ah, that's good to know! When we have qu…" Nick paused for a moment. "Uh… I mean, when I need a short break of your younger siblings…" he cleared his throat and Evelin just grinned, but didn't say anything. "I hope you don't have to take a day off just to pick me up?" Nick was reaching behind his head with his healthy paw and tried to change the subject quickly.

"That's okay, I have a lot of vacation days. And it's easier to take care for your family instead of the foreigner's children. Even if you are somewhat bigger than my other fosterlings." She winked in his direction.

Nick was dumbstruck for a moment; this was the first time a member of Judy's family – beside her – had named him a part of the family. Was it just a casual phrase or did Evelin said that on purpose.

"Why are you looking so funny, Nicky?" Annie was asking the fox, twitching on his shirt.

"Probably because I called him part of the family, my dear." Evelin laughed lightly, but Annie looked serious.

"But he is Judy's friend, isn't he?" the little rabbit asked curiously.

"Yes, he is." Evelin nodded with a soft smile.

"Then he belongs to our family!" Annie decided beaming and hugged Nicks' arm. The fox was still unable to speak and instead patted the young rabbit on her head, smiling stirred. Then his looks went to Evelin and they said ' _Thank you_ ' without speaking a word. But before Nick would start to get even more emotional, Judy passed the truck with switched on flashing lights, waving and driving ahead of them for the rest of the way.

Judy stand beside the motorbike and put her helmet on the handlebar when Evelin arrived at the house. Their mother and a few of their siblings were coming out of the house and Nick had a lump in his throat. " _It's like I'm going voluntary in a trap…_ " he thought and gnashed nervously with his teeth. Annie hopped out of the window and ran beaming to her mother who was currently hugging Judy. Evelin unfasten her seatbelt and turned to Nick, noticing his gaze.

"Nick?" she asked slightly worried. "Is everything okay? Do you have pangs?" He didn't react until she put her paw carefully on his shoulder. He composed himself rather quickly, but for a moment Evelin could see the angst in his eyes. In the meantime, Judy was looking to the truck because neither of them got out of it. She said something to her Mom, then hopped to Nick's side of the car that he just opened.

"Is everything okay, Nick?" Judy asked somewhat anxious, but the fox just smiled at her and nodded.

"Of course, carrots. My leg has gone to sleep during the ride, that's all. Caution!" The latter Nick said just before he jumped out of the truck, landing on his left foot. Judy looked at with her ' _I don't believe anything you just said_ '-look – especially as she could hear his way to fast heartbeat – but get his crutches from the cargo area of the truck. "Thank you, Fluff" he said, but Judy stabilized him on his left side nevertheless. "I can go on my own, Judy." Nick sighed, but his rabbit just shook her head.

"You should not overreach yourself Doctor Greenwood said! And as long as you are under our supervision…" Judy explained, but was interrupted by the fox.

"' _Our_ ' supervision?"

"Yes, _our_ supervision. Evelin will have a look after you when I'm away, or Ralph when she is busy. But some of us will always be around you."

"Just in case you got some bloodthirstiness…" Evelin said, grimaced her face and walked like a Zombie in those movies. Judy and Annie laughed, and Nick snickered at least. Bonnie, who was within earshot by now, looked shocked to Evelin and put a paw before her mouth.

"Eve!" she hissed in her direction, but now Nick was laughing, too.

"Don't worry, Misses Hopps. I know she is only joking." Nick said and Evelin grinned first to him, then to her mother.

"Settle down, Mom. The only thing you have to secure are our blueberries." Evelin said with a wink.

"Well…" Bonnie Hopps looked somewhat embarrassed and twitched her paws. "Hello Mister Wilde." She made a few steps in his direction, and reached out to shake his hands. Nick looked with an inquiring smile to Judy who just shrugged, then Nick turned to Bonnie again and hugged her friendly.

"It's just Nick, Misses Hopps. And thank you very much that I can stay at your home for a few days." Nick smiled friendly and Judy admired his deadpan.

"Just Bonnie, my dear." Judy's mother smiled, put a paw on Nicks back and turned to the door. "Come with me, my dear. Take a seat in the kitchen and I will make sure that you get something decent to eat after having those hospital meals."

Judy took a deep breath and seemed relieved when they walked into the house. Evelin put a paw on her shoulder and refrained her a few steps behind the door. She made sure that Nick was out of earshot, then gestured with her head to Judy that she should follow her. With raised eyebrows Judy walked behind Evelin into one of the smaller bedrooms, that were currently empty.

"What is it, Eve?" Judy asked puzzled.

"I am a little worried about Nick." Evelin answered. "I think Nick had a panic attack earlier in the car."

"Oh…" now Judy was worried, too.

"Maybe the whole situation is getting to him. Do you think he is still afraid about Mom and Dad?"

"Mh…" Judy considered this for a moment. "It is not being afraid of them doing harm to him physically I think. But it is hard for him to let anyone get close. He's dubbing it quite good most of the time, but that is mostly masquerading."

"Okay, we will take one step at a time then. Dinner with all of us together could be a little overwhelming for the first day." Evelin smiled and Judy nodded agreeing.

"Good idea, thank you Eve." Judy gave her sister a kiss on her cheek.

"For you always, Juju" She smiled, then they left the room and walked to the kitchen, where Nick was sitting on a chair and Bonnie was serving him some blueberry pancakes and blueberry ice tea.

"Are you treated well?" Judy asked snickering.

"Very well!" Nick smiled widely with a pancake in his hands.

"I didn't speak with you, dumb fox." Judy winked at him and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek before he could start to pout.

"He is very well mannered and seems to love my special pancakes." Bonnie said and smiled proudly.

"Where is Dad?" Judy asked while scrounging a pancake from Nicks plate.

"He is in the fields with the boys. But he should get home in an hour or two."

"Then I will help you with preparing diner." Judy offered eagerly, but Bonnie shook her head.

"You can show Nick our guest room and arrange yourself. And please put your laundry out, I will make sure it will be cleaned by tomorrow. Maybe you and Evelin could show Nick the most significant rooms in the house, I will take care of diner with your other siblings as usual." Bonnie smiled.

It took Nick another fifteen minutes to finish his pancakes and they made some small talk in the meantime. Then Judy and Evelin accompanied Nick to the guest room, Annie hopping alongside. After Nick dropped onto the relatively large bed, Evelin took the recalcitrant Annie on her arms.

"You can unpack your backpack first and settle down for a moment. We will pick you up for a small tour in an hour, that's okay?" Evelin looked at Nick and her sister.

"Great, thanks Eve!" Judy smiled and put the backpack on the floor.

"Thank you, Eve!" Nick replied, and waved a short goodbye to Annie.

When the door was closed behind them, Nick breathed deeply and let himself fall backward onto the bed.

"What's bothering you?" Judy asked after sitting beside him on the blanket. "And don't tell me that ' _Everything's okay carrot_ '-thing again." She added annoyed but with a soft smile. And when he didn't say anything: "Do you feel queasy?"

Nick shrugged and smiled awry. "It's nothing serious, carrots. Your Mom was really nice and your siblings more than ever. Just give me a while to accustom myself to the new situation, okay?" He smiled to her and stroke with his paw her cheek.

"Maybe I can help you to speed up things…" Judy winked with a sly grin. She grabbed his paw and put it down on the bed besides his head, leaning in to kiss him affectionately.


	10. 1x10 - It's a hustle

_"How does one collect love, rage, hatred, fear, jealousy, irrationality, or other intangibles? Clues left at a crime scene may be of inestimable value in leading to the solution of a crime; however, they are not necessarily items of physical evidence, per se"._ ** _James T. Reese_**

* * *

"What are you doing over there, Stu?" Bonnie asked when she saw her husband standing in the hallway near the guest room door, twitching his ears with concentration. Stu winced and turned around to his wife.

"Nothing, my dear!" he offered with a wide and innocent smile, but Bonnie shook her head disappointed.

"You are not even five minutes back in the house and you are already spying on your daughter?"

"Not spying, hon!" Stu raised his paws in defense and smiled awry. "Just… making sure everything is okay".

"She is a grown-up, let her have some privacy with her boyfriend". Stu winced again at that word and Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Better get accustomed to this word, who know when it will be replaced by fiancé". She walked back to the kitchen while talking and couldn't see the look on Stu's face. He hurried after her, hugged her and gave her a kiss.

"You are right, Bon". Stu smiled softly, but his nose twitched a bit. "Did everything go well when they arrived?"

"Yes, he was really nice". Bonnie replied his smile and stirred some vegetable stew. "I admit that it was a bit awkward at first, I did not know what to say. But he did not seem to have any reservations and everything went all right". She appeared assuaged and patted her husband's arm. "You will meet him at dinner, my dear".

"Well, I'd better start laying the table then". Stu gave his wife a quick kiss and hurried to the cupboard.

"Evelin asked that we also use the smaller dining room, so we can sit together with Nick and Judy and only a few of the other siblings he already knows. She feared it could be too much on the first day with all of the family eating together", She smiled. "I think that is a good idea, Eve really thinks about everything".

"Hmmm, well, okay. If you think so." Stu agreed with some hesitation and picked up the dinnerware. "Miriam, Rodney, Mike, can you help me lay the tables, please?" he shouted and shortly after three pairs of feet hopped down the hallway.

* * *

Nick lay on his back on the bed with his shirt opened. Judy sat on his lap and her paws ran over the bandage that covered his wound. She sighed and laid herself beside him, her arm around his torso, and rubbed her chin over his chest. Nick smelled her scent left on his fur, tickled her head around the ears and closed his eyes.

"Nick?" Judy spoke quietly.

"Mh?"

"Can we talk about something?"

"Of course, what is on your mind, carrots?"

Judy thought for a moment, then began: "I want to confess something to you, but…" she was interrupted by someone knocking on the door. "Cheese and carrots!" she murmured, then loudly said "Come in!" While she straightened up on the bed.

Evelin put her head through the door and grinned when she saw them both lying on the bed. "Are you ready for the short tour, Nick?" The fox hesitated and looked to Judy, who just waved aside.

"It's okay, I will unpack our backpack in the meantime. We can talk later". She smiled and Nick gave her a kiss, just long enough for her to be sorry that her sister was waiting at the door. Nick got up from the bed, hobbled to the desk that his crutches were leaning against, and walked with them to Evelin.

"If she doesn't bring me back in half an hour, send a search party after us". He winked, but then said somewhat more serious: "I love you, Judy. See you later".

"See ya'!" she smiled softly and then opened their backpack while Evelin supported Nick on his right side and walked away. Their talk would have to wait for a while then.

* * *

"Most of our smaller bedrooms are belowground, the burrow is about 30-meters-deep with about 40 rooms on each of the three floors. Our smallest siblings live with four rabbits in one room, and when they get older we reduce it to two or three in one room. Only a few of us adults have their own room". They walked past a few doors and two stairs going down. "Here on the ground floor are all of the common rooms like the kitchens, dining rooms or the living rooms with TV's or large tables; the guest room and Mom and Dad's bedroom are also on this floor. And here…" she opened the door at the end of the hallway "…is one of our bigger bathrooms with a shower and a bathtub. Most other bathrooms on the floors below only have a shower".

"Wow", Nick was visibly impressed. "This really is a monstrous structure".

"Oh, I didn't tell you half of it", Evelin winked. "On the lowermost floor we have a lot of storage rooms with enough food to feed the whole burrow for at least a few months. We also have access to a groundwater depot there. On the second floor below we also have a steam sauna beside the lodgings, and on the first floor are also some studios and a workshop for different professions, like a tailoring studio or a music room with a few instruments".

"You're kidding me?"

Evelin laughed enjoying herself, Nick really looked puzzled about their burrow. "No kidding, we have our own small town below Bunnyburrow, and not all of us follow in our parents' footsteps in farming".

"That is really impressive!"

"Yepp. Come on, I will show you our main living room. Mom and Dad sit there in the evening most of the time, together with most adult children". They walked around a few corners and through two doors. In a few places it was difficult for Nick to edge through the rabbit sized corridors, even more so with his crutches. But they finally stood in a really big room with a dozen couches and armchairs, two chimneys and a few wooden tables. Along the walls were shelves with books, a big TV, audio equipment and sideboards with board games. There was also a lot of photos of the whole family around the wall, like one really big family tree all together with partners and grandchildren; only letting someone adumbrate what the wallpaper of the room is.

A few younger bunnies were playing cards in one corner of the room and only looked up briefly, waving to Nick and Evelin, when they entered the room. Nick became wide-eyed, letting his looks wander around.

"This is…" he started and Evelin continued.

"Amazing?"

"More or less", Nick nodded slowly and searched for Judy on the wall. Evelin seemed to have guessed what he was looking for, hopped over to the first chimney and pointed to a picture of Judy after finishing school and grinned.

"I could imagine it's like looking for a needle in a haystack of strangers".

Nick scratched his right paw behind his head and smiled. "Let me say, I find it rather difficult to distinguish between all of you, in particular when there are hundreds of photos, and you really know the name of each and every one of them?" Nick said disbelievingly.

"Oh, of course! These are Lisa, Sarah, Laura, Fabian, Jonas, Caroline, Sven, Nina, Julian, Natalie…" Nick rolled his eyes, put his arms up in defense, and Evelin started to laugh. After looking for a while at all the pictures Nick asked:

"Do you have a photo book with their names written below?"

Evelin tilted her head inquiringly. "You really want to learn all those names? There are over three hundred of them, you know that? Not counting all the grandchildren that is!"

The fox shrugged and took a seat in one of the armchairs. "The least I can do is try to learn as many of them as I can. It is Judy's family, and how can I start to be a part of it when I've not even tried to learn your names". Nick looked serious about this and Evelin noticed how he silently repeated the names she had already told him while memorizing the corresponding photo. Now she really understood what Judy values about him, and a smile was on her face.

"I will see to it that I make a photo book ready for you, Nick".

"That would be great, thank you very much Eve!" then after a quick thought: "But don't tell Judy about it, I want to surprise her", he winked and Evelin nodded smiling.

"That is a great idea, she will certainly appreciate it, I'm sure".

"Appreciate what?" Judy walked into the living room with an inquiring look on her face.

"When Nick is resting, so you two can live it up later in your room", Evelin slyly grinned.

"Ha. Ha". Judy answered but her ears were getting slightly darker from the blood. "And, how was sightseeing?" she addressed Nick while sitting on the arm rest of his chair.

"This isn't a house, it's a town of its own!" Nick's admiration was clearly audible and Judy smiled.

"It's just a burrow".

"Well, it is the first one I've seen from the inside, and even after visiting only a small part of it, I think it's gigantic!"

Evelin snickered and nudged Judy with her hip. "Do you remember? When we played hide and seek as kits?" Then she turned to Nick. "Judy always wanted to count and search for us, disguised as a cop, and acted like she was trying to find criminals".

Judy smiled softly. "Yeah, catching criminals was fun back then". Nick shared a quick look with Evelin, who understood and made a quick excuse: "I have to help Mom with dinner, you'll see us at six!"

When Evelin was gone, Nick put his arm around Judy and pulled her onto his lap. "Hey, carrots. What's the matter? You seem to be quiet distracted lately". He put his snout between her ears and lost in thought he left his scent on her. The rabbit sighed and put her arms around him, hugging him firmly.

"I can't get this zooicide case out of my head. There is some quite strange evidence, but I have no idea where it all leads, and the alleged criminal, a wolf, is sitting in jail and I'm unsure if he is really guilty".

"Then maybe you should share the details with your partner. Perhaps he has an idea or two on how to proceed", Nick smiled and gave her a soft kiss.

"You should not rush things and…"

"…take it easy, I know carrots!" Nick sighed with a smile and put a paw on her arm. "I only have a casted leg and arm; my brain is as healthy as always and a case to ponder about would be a welcome distraction".

Judy thought about it for a while and tickled through Nick's chest fur. "When I get the reports from the forensic lab and the forensic medicine we can browse through the case file together, okay?" she finally suggested, and Nick nodded. "Great idea. But for today you have to stop thinking about it then, deal?"

Judy smiled at him and gave him a short kiss on his lips: "Deal". Then she huddled against him, stroking his arm with her paw.

"By the way, what did you want to talk about earlier?" Nick looked inquiringly, but Judy shook her head.

"Not here, let's talk about it in private".

The fox was a little anxious, Judy had been behaving differently since they were back in her parents' house, and wanted to talk about something she wanted to confess to him? And only in private? His thoughts were tumbling until Judy put her paw onto his and squeezed it a bit, looking up at him.

"It's nothing serious, you don't have to worry". Judy tried to put his mind at ease, but it only worked a wee bit. Nick was sure that something was bothering Judy, and he was also quite sure that it wasn't the case as she had said. But at the moment he could do nothing but wait for her to open up.

* * *

For the evening meal, Nick and Judy sat with her parents, Evelin and Ralph in the small dining room. Nick was apologizing for the third time that they did not have to lay a separate table only for him, and he didn't want to create any circumstances. Bonnie waved his protest aside.

"One bunny at a time, honey. You have to accustom yourself to such a big family first, it would be a little overwhelming on your first evening, and it's really no task, Evelin and Ralph laid the table really quickly".

"Six place settings are nothing when you are used to forty times that many", Ralph laughed and passed the small basket with fresh bread to Judy.

"I heard Stephanie cancelled her holiday trip to Nageria!" Evelin started to talk and her Mom nodded.

"Yes, her husband was at the market stand today and told Miriam about it". Then she addressed Nick: "Stephanie is also one of our children, but she left the burrow after her wedding last year". She patted Stu's back, who had choked on something and coughed.

"Did he tell her why? As far as I know she was really eager to make this trip". Judy asked while passing the plate with vegetable wraps to Nick.

"Yes, she is pregnant again! Isn't that great news?" Bonnie beamed and now it was Judy's turn to cough.

"It's her third litter, isn't it?" Evelin asked, and her mother nodded.

"Yes, and the first two were rather big, each with ten kits!"

Nick dropped his fork by accident and murmured a quiet excuse, but Ralph caught his gaze and smirked: "I believe our guest is wondering, how many litters and kits there are in an average rabbit family". He winked at Nick whose ears drooped, but Bonnie answered eagerly.

"Oh, that really depends on environment, Nick. Most families try to not exceed one or perhaps two litters a year. But also the size of a litter varies, some rare litters only have one or two kits. But the average is four to six; and sometimes even more than a dozen. But that's very rare". Nick and Judy were staring at their plate and chewing slowly on their vegetable wraps. But of course, her mother could make things more awkward.

"We, for example, currently have 47 litters, right Stu?" She looked to her husband who was normally really proud of their family size.

"Yeah, I guess..." he twitched with a napkin and sounded uneasy at the moment. But of course a mother knows how to make things even more awkward than that, and Bonnie was no exception.

"Are you planning on having some kits, too?" she addressed Nick and Judy with an innocent look.

"Mom!" Judy exclaimed and this time her ears appeared soft red because of embarrassment. Nick and Stu started coughing heavily at the same time and even the white spots in Nick's ears got a pink touch. Evelin and Ralph looked at each other and could barely hold their laughter. Only Bonnie looked perplexed.

"Did I say something funny?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Everything's fine, Mom…" Evelin was snorting with laughter and already had tears in her eyes.

"Then why are you all acting so funny? At least it's the first time she's brought a b…"

"MOM!" Judy shouted and the panic in her voice was not missed by anyone at the table. Evelin and Ralph totally lost it and leaned on each other to not fall off their chairs while laughing. Stu leapt up from his chair, nearly knocking over his plate.

"I'll get the dessert!" he murmured and vanished through the door. Judy just wished the earth would swallow her up; she delved her head into her folded arms on the table. Nick sat still on his chair and stared blankly at his plate.

"Oh come on, we are all adults!" Bonnie rolled her eyes. "You are acting childish, Judy. And you two are not any better!" she added with a look to Evelin and Ralph who were still giggling.

"Anybody hungry for some strawberry cake?" Stu entered the room again with a big baking tray.

"Here!" Judy and Nick called relieved like from one mouth.

* * *

During the dessert they didn't talk a lot except for compliments for Bonnie and her great baking skills. As it transpired, Nick was also a big fan of the Hopps' strawberries and he ate three pieces of cake to emphasize this fact. Judy only ate half a piece; she wasn't really that hungry and Nick was pleased to take care of the other half. When everybody finished their plates Evelin wanted to get up to clear the table, but Nick asked her to sit down again. All looks were suddenly focused on him, and the fox felt a bit queasy again. Judy smiled and supported him.

"We have brought you a small present, nothing fancy". She addressed her parents and her voice was a bit higher than usual. Nick grabbed for the paper bag that stood between his legs. When he took out the first present, the nicely packed frame with the photo of Judy after the race, his paws were a bit shaky. He handed it over to Stu and while he was curiously unpacking it, all other rabbits beside Judy were standing around him, looking over his shoulder.

"Oh! Jude the dude! That is a really great photo! Bonnie, look at her! Isn't she a born star?" Stu was beaming with pride, even more so when he saw the medal. "Oh, but honey! You earned this medal, you don't have to put it inside the frame for us!"

Judy smiled and put her arm around Nick's. "I still have my medal, it's Nick's copy, he made this for you two!" She looked up to her fox and smiled proudly; Stu stared at them.

"Really! That's … that's …" he looked seeking help from his wife.

"That's a wonderful idea, thank you so much Nick!" Bonnie completed her husband's sentence, who nodded keenly.

"Absolutely! Thank you!" Stu was the first to get off his chair, then Bonnie. They both hugged Nick who was smiling relieved.

"I thought what the most beautiful present would be. And then I thought: What could be more beautiful than Judy and her fist pump after winning the race". His voice was also a little too high, but he smiled pleased.

"It's not Judy winning, it's Judy being happy! And winning makes her happy". Stu snickered and Bonnie nodded smiling.

"Stu is right, to know that Judy is happy is the most important thing for us". She beamed and looked moony at her daughter.

Evelin and Ralph just grinned from ear-to-ear, looking at Judy who was nearly as embarrassed as she was a short time ago. Nick poked his rabbit with his elbow, he thought it would be better if she handed the other picture over to her parents. She looked up at him and his pleading look made a dent. She took the paper bag and pulled out the second, unpacked frame with the back facing her parents.

"Actually, we have another one for you". She began and her paws were lightly shaking; when Nick noticed it, he put his paw on one side of the frame and assured her with a look full of affection. She nodded slightly and handed the frame, photo facing up, to her mother.

Silence. Twenty-One. Twenty-Two. Twenty-Three. Twenty-Four. Twenty-Five. Judy and Nick held their breath for just a few seconds, but it felt like minutes.

Finally, her mother broke the silence: "Oh, honey!" her mother's voice was all emotional and even Stu looked happy and put his paw on Bonnie's shoulder. "This photo is the most beautiful picture I've ever saw of you!" she tried to suppress a sob.

"Yes, it is indeed!" Stu added no less emotional. "I never saw my little princess happier than in this photo. Thank you!" and with these words he hugged Nick firmly; Bonnie nodded in the background and twitched with a handkerchief.

* * *

They sat together at the dining table until nearly 11 o'clock at night. Evelin shooed her parents, Nick and Judy away as she and Ralph cleaned everything up. The two older rabbits quickly disappeared into their own bedroom after wishing everyone a good night.

Nick was lying on the bed when Judy entered their guest room after a short shower. She had a large towel around her body and looked as tired and relieved as he did.

"It all went better than expected, didn't it?" he asked with a soft smile, and Judy threw herself onto the bed beside him.

"Yepp. Definitely better than expected". She smiled, too, and turned her head to him; their nose tips touched and both snickered quietly. They lay there in silence for nearly ten minutes, just looking into each other's eyes.

"Nick?" Judy asked finally and broke the magical mood.

"Mh?"

"I wanted to confess something to you…" Nick didn't reply but looked affectionately into her eyes. Judy sighed: "But I don't dare". She nibbled on her bottom lip and looked a bit worried.

"Judy". Nick aspirated her name with a smile, and a shiver ran down her spine. "I just survived my first dinner with your parents in a burrow, and I'm still with you. Nothing you could say would change my feelings for you". He kissed her slowly and softly on her lips and Judy sighed smiling.

"I was always so fixated on becoming a police officer". She started, but then hesitated. Nick wanted to reply something, but sensed it would be better to let her just talk for the time being. After a few moments she continued. "All my brothers and sisters were going to parties and having so much fun, but I just worked to earn some money and studied for my biggest goal". Nick assured her by caressing her head and ears with his paw. "Now that I reached my goal, my priorities shifted and… I have the feeling that I missed so much and really am just a dumb rabbit in so many ways".

"You are not a dumb rabbit", Nick said with a smile. Judy sighed again.

"Yes, I am. You are…" she swallowed, but decided it was finally time to confess this part of her to Nick. "I've never had a boyfriend before you, Nick". She looked as if she had just announced the death of a near relative and her whole body was shaking slightly. Nick looked somewhat surprised; he had never thought about those things. He loved Judy the way she was, why would something so trivial matter by any means?

"Hey…" he put his paw below her chin and lifted it to meet her gaze. "I don't know how I, out of all other mammals earned your love, but I'm honored." Nicks' voice was gentle and Judy sobbed quietly.

"You are not disappointed? For a rabbit this is really odd and unusual, you know".

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. "Well, I'm obviously no rabbit. Why should I be disappointed when you are the best thing that's happened to me in my whole life? Don't ever think about it this way again". Judy laughed sobbing and hugged him firmly; Nick could hardly breath but it didn't matter in this moment and he returned her hug.

* * *

The next morning Judy woke up, had a stretch and gazed directly into Nick's eyes.

"Huh! Since when are you awake even before me?" Judy seemed puzzled and searched for her phone to take a look at the clock. Nick grabbed her paws and gave them a kiss.

"It's quarter past eight, carrots".

Judy's eyes grew wide with disbelief. "Why didn't you wake me up; I'm already late!" She jumped out of the bed but Nick smiled.

"You looked so cute while sleeping, I didn't want to wake you up".

Judy poked her tongue out at him and the fox laughed.

Half an hour later they sat in the smallest of the three kitchens, the one that had the malfunctioning oven the morning before. It was still big enough for at least a dozen rabbits to work at the same time, but currently only Evelin and Miriam were here, preparing the lunch packs for the market booth. On the table there was already a basket with gems and bread, plates with cheese and butter, marmalade, a cup of tea for Judy, and a cup of coffee for Nick.

"What is your schedule for today, sis?" Miriam asked looking at Judy, who was eating some bread with self-made marmalade.

"I will go to the police station and pick up some reports, then I wanted to work from home".

"This zooicide is really tragic, poor John. I think he will sell the carpentry shop, now that his father is dead". Evelin chatted but Miriam shook her head.

"I don't think that he is in mourning, he often argued with his father and they say the old Aaron Leep was a drunkard".

"Did you or any other one of us have close contact with the Leeps recently?" Judy asked, sipping on her cup of herbal tea.

"Not that I know of", Miriam replied and packed the lunches into a basket. "I will bring those into the truck". She walked with the lunch basket in her paws out of the kitchen.

"Did you find the source of the gunpowder scent, carrots?" Nick asked curiously.

"Nope, I did have another look at the workshop yesterday, but couldn't find anything. You are sure about the scent, aren't you?"

"That hurts me, carrots!" Nick put his right paw over his heart and pouted.

"Okay, okay. I just wanted to be sure". Judy winked, but Evelin turned around and asked surprised.

"What do you mean with gunpowder? I read in the newspaper that Aaron was stabbed?"

"Yes he was. But after I spent a few hours investigating the workshop, Nick could smell gunpowder on me. So it had to be in the air, even if I could not smell it", Judy stated while biting into her second slice of bread.

"You could really smell this?" Evelin looked at Nick impressed.

"Well, foxes have a very acute sense of smell, and gunpowder has a real tang", Nick replied with a smile. "It's also useful during an interrogation; with some exercise you can distinguish if a suspect is afraid or calm, and then deviate if he is lying or telling the truth. It's not a hundred percent accurate, but it's a useful utility".

"Wait a minute, you can really smell if someone is lying or not?" Evelin looked skeptical.

"This, and a lot more. But I usually try to suppress my sense of smell in large groups of animals, it's an extreme and uncomfortable mix of all different scents".

"Are you saying that we smell musty?" Evelin put her paws on her sides and stared icily at him. But Nick was used to her humor by now and slyly smiled.

"I'm saying that a few hundred rabbits in a burrow are odiferous for a fox. More than ever when at least half a dozen of them are currently in heat".

Judy, who already knew about Nick's olfactory skills, just smiled softly, but Evelin dropped her jaw wide open and gazed at Nick, then at Judy.

"Did you know that?"

"Of course, sis", Judy winked at her.

"That's incredible!" Evelin gasped.

"It's boon and bane", Nick smiled and sipped from his coffee, then he turned to Judy. "Don't forget, that we want to go through the case file together, carrots".

"You two are made for each other; obviously neither of you has ever heard of a thing called 'leisure time'", Evelin rolled her eyes. "Aren't you certified unfit for work, Nick?"

"I am, but just reading a few reports and looking at photos will not kill me".

"Give up, Eve, he is at least as stubborn as I am", Judy grinned and finished her breakfast. "Okay, I will take the truck and bring the lunch packages to the market booth on my way back". With these words she gave Nick a quick kiss and left the kitchen. A minute later the old truck was heard driving away and Nick finished his breakfast, too.

"Do you have any other secret skills I should know about?" Evelin asked while cleaning up the table.

"I can see in nearly complete darkness; does that count?"

"Hide and seek really isn't fun with you".

"Oh, I liked to play hide and seek, but not as seeker. I always preferred to hide", Nick smiled.

"Isn't that the classical role of the prey? I did not think that you are the subduing partner".

"Well, yeah I like to… wait, what?!" Nick looked dumbfounded and Evelin snorted, enjoying herself.

"Relax, Nick. I will not condemn you for anything", Evelin winked and Nick snuffled. "Oh, by the way…" she walked over to a sideboard and took a book out of the second drawer. "This is our latest photo book with all the names and how we are related. The pictures are about a year old, but this should give you a start". Evelin handed him the photo book and Nick browsed through it with a quick glance.

"Thank you, Eve". Then, after a short hesitation he said: "May I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course, I can always decide to not answer you", She winked with a sly grin, which Nick replied.

"Most of the older rabbits seemed to have started their own families. Why do you and Miriam for example still live at home?"

"We both have a boyfriend, my dear. Not all of us are starting our own burrow, but decide to stay with the family. At least until the wedding that is. If you meet a rabbit that is not living with their family, they're probably already married." Evelin smiled when she noticed Nick's look. "Judy is the big exception, no worries".

"Yeah, I guess so. The first rabbit at the force, and living alone in the big city…"

"…bringing a fox back home as her boyfriend." Evelin and Nick laughed at once. "Yes, that's our Judy, and that makes her very special for Mom and Dad. The rest of us are under their supervision most of the time, but not Judy".

"That's the reason they gave me a hard time?"

"That, and you being a fox instead of a rabbit." Eve winked, and when Nick's ears drooped she added quickly: "Don't worry, they are beginning to accustom themselves to you. There is only one main concern left as far as I know".

"And that is?" Nick asked curiously.

"They are really crazy about grandchildren…" Evelin answered with a grin, and when Nick choked on his coffee she nearly screamed with laughter.

* * *

Judy returned about an hour later and searched for Nick. She finally found him at the back of the house sitting on a wooden bench beneath a few trees, reading a book. When she approached him, he put it down and smiled.

"Hey, carrots".

"Hey, slacker".

"Pfft, don't forget that I'm seriously injured".

"So you are too sick to go over this case file with me?"

"Sly Bunny".

"Dumb fox", Judy grinned triumphantly. It was those little games between them, that mirrored the familiarity in their relationship. Some intimacy they could share in the open without anyone noticing and yet it gave them both a nice chill. Judy sat beside Nick and leaned her head against his arm. "How have you been getting along with everybody so far?"

"They are all really nice. I have to admit it feels somewhat awkward after our encounter last Saturday".

"That was mainly Joshua; he is a dork. Mom and Dad were just taken by surprise and then everything escalated disastrously", She sighed.

"It's not your fault, carrots". Nick put his snout on her head between her ears.

"I let it escalate, and without my fight with Josh you wouldn't be injured at all". Judy looked sadly at Nick's casts and swept her paw over them.

"I'm still alive, carrots, and I still love you. So everything is fine". Nick smiled, grabbed for his crutches and put the small book into his pocket. "Let's find us a room, work is always a good distraction for you".

* * *

They agreed with Bonnie Hopps to arrange themselves in the smallest living room and closed the door, so that someone wasn't lurking around every now and then. They scattered all the photos onto the table and Judy elucidated Nick all the details she had investigated. The report of the legal medicine clarified, that Aaron Leep died from exsanguination, induced by a stabbing wound into his abdomen. A few sketches exemplified that the wound channel went from above at an angle of 75 degrees. The weapon was a one-sided blade 26 millimeters in width and at least 168 millimeters in length. It broke through the abdominal wall, perforated the small intestine and the subclavian artery; the latter caused a rapid exsanguination and death within less than a minute. The blood alcohol concentration was rather high at 3.6 ‰ and they found Meloxicam, an analgesic, in a considerable quantity. In his fur, mainly his paws, was a black substance found that was sent to the forensic lab.

The reports from the forensic lab in Zootopia identified several types of wood for the slivers. The fiber that Judy found on the wooden fence wasn't a textile but cellulose with tracks of nitric acid, also known as nitrocellulose. It is highly flammable, but is hardly used anymore. Another substance she found was identified as vulcanized rubber. The black substance found in the fur of the victim was a mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Saltpeter, also known as Black Powder or Gunpowder. The last sample was a powder she found between those sketches and papers in the drawer of the workbench. It was a mixture of Sulphur, Sulphide of Antimony, Chlorate of Potash and Gum. The mixture had a resemblance to those used for friction matches and is also highly flammable.

"For a carpenter, this rabbit handled quite a lot of explosives", Nick said with a frown. "Maybe he was a bomber and he was killed for this reason".

"A bomber here in Bunnyburrow?" Judy sounded skeptical.

"Well, it would be a great camouflage, nobody would expect something like this".

"Maybe, but it still sounds very unlikely to me".

"Okay, but you said there was a long lasting conflict with his neighbor. Maybe he wanted to assault him or his bakery with a bomb, and Frank Tailor killed Aaron Leep in self-defense".

"And why did Frank Tailor not plead that he had to act in self-defense? No, that doesn't make any sense at all, Nick".

Nick browsed through the cluttered reports and picked up the one from the legal medicine, searching for the sketches the Coroner made. "The wound channel went from above at an angle of 75 degrees…" Nick voiced under his breath and seemed to be contemplative.

"What are you thinking?"

"This angle of seventy-five degrees is odd". He let his looks wander. "Do you have a ruler or a pencil or something similar?" Judy went to a sideboard and took out a paper knife.

"Something like this?" she asked with a smirk.

"Perfect! Okay, now pretend that you are stabbing me…"

"Only pretend?"

"Cheeky bunny…" Nick snorted and turned around facing Judy, so that she could put the stub paper knife on his shirt. "That would be more of a 105-degree angle".

"Yes, because I'm smaller than you. Let's switch roles!"

Nick looked at her with a seductive smile. "But we are still working, carrots!"

"I will get back to that offer at a later time", Judy winked and Nick took the paper knife with a wide grin. Then he pretended to stab her and considered the angle of the knife.

"That is approximately 75 degrees". He finally said, looking back at some other report papers.

"Well, then the results match the evidence. Why are you still discontent about it?" Judy glanced over at him with an inquiring look.

"Because of this!" Nick handed the sheet of paper he was reading to Judy and pointed his paw to a specific row.

"Frank Tailor's height is 207 centimeters, so what?"

"The victim Aaron Leep was about your height, but Frank Tailor is nearly fifty centimeters larger than me. If he had stabbed him, the angle would have been more tapered".

"Mh…" Judy considered Nick's thought.

"And another thing that bothers me: There are no defense wounds on Aaron Leep. Don't you think a rabbit would try to defend himself against an offender with a knife, especially when he has a conflict with him?"

"Don't forget, that he was heavily drunk. Maybe he couldn't defend himself".

"And the Meloxicam? He was bleeding to death within less than a minute, so he took them before. But he had no other injuries that needed pain killers, much less a strong one like Meloxicam".

"What are you indicating, Nick? That he knew that he would be hijacked and stabbed so he took them in advance? That's ridiculous".

"Not necessarily; consider the large angle of the wound channel". Judy took the paper knife again and held it at a 75-degree angle. Nick put his own paw on hers and turned it around, so now the paper knife was pointing to herself in the exact right position to match the sketches of the legal medicine. "See?"

Judy appeared irritated. "He stabbed himself to death?"

"Apparently, yes". Nick sat down with a smile on an undersized chair and Judy studied the report and sketches again. Then she slowly asked:

"And you think, that his son John found him, took the knife and put it in Frank Tailor's storage to incriminate him?" Judy sat on another chair beside him. "So now we are not talking about a zooicide, but a suicide and a follow-up concealment and a conspiracy to incriminate the Tailors?"

"Maybe, but that will not explain all those explosives. But either he stabbed himself or someone only slightly larger than him did".

There was a knock on the door and Evelin put her head through the door. "Lunch will be ready in about fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Okay, thanks Eve". Judy said with a quick smile but immediately put her nose back to the papers in front of her and Nick. Evelin closed the door behind herself and Nick murmured something.

"Did you say something?" Judy turned her head slightly in Nick's direction and the fox sighed quietly.

"You don't want to know, fluff". He smiled awry, but now Judy's ears straightened up and pointed in his direction, as always when she was at full attention.

"Now more than ever! What's the matter, Nick?"

"It's my olfactory sense again, nothing to worry about". Nick tried to talk himself out of this, but Judy was still gazing at him, waiting for an answer. "Well, okay! It's because of Evelin. She had … copulated with another rabbit recently". Nick's voice was almost down to a whisper. Judy snapped her eyes open and clapped her paws over her mouth, Nick just nodded with a smile. "Yeah, you bunnies are really great at multiplication". Judy boxed against his arm and snorted with laughter.

"Okay, I will chaff her about this after lunch!" she grinned and Nick grabbed his crutches.

"For all I care, but let's go to dinner before", He winked and at the same time his stomach was growling on command.

They took dinner together this time with all the others. Almost everyone had seen or talked with the fox before, so there was no awkward incident and Nick gave rave reviews to the food again. As it seems he was a big fan of the plain fare, only being used to the fast food he had in Zootopia.

* * *

After lunch, Judy and Nick distanced themselves rather quickly and poured over their case again until late in the evening. In the meantime, Ralph brought them a big tray with sandwiches and a pitcher with ice tea. It was already dark outside when Stu and Bonnie knocked and entered the room. Judy and Nick stretched themselves.

"What time is it?" Judy asked while rubbing her eyes and Nick yawned.

"It's time to call it a day, hon". Her mother answered smiling and handed each of them a small plate with a piece of carrot cake.

"Thanks Misses Hopps, this looks delicious!" Nick eagerly picked the cake up and ate a piece of it.

"It's Bonnie, my dear". She smiled and Stu added:

"And you can call me Stu, I'm feeling old being called Mister Hopps", he winked and Judy smiled, starting to eat her piece of cake. Judy's parents sat down on the other side of the table, shortly looking over the sheets of papers, sketches and photos; but it seemed that they were not too interested in those things.

"Are you making progress, darling?" Stu asked, and Judy raised her eyebrows.

"The going Is tough. But I guess, that's not what you wanted to talk about, is it?"

"Actually…" Bonnie started and looked at her husband with a smile.

"…we want to show you something", Stu finished the sentence, also smiling. Nick's ears straightened up and he looked at Judy somewhat alarmed. The young rabbit shrugged and stood up, as did her parents. Nick took his crutches and then he and Judy followed her parents through the hallway. It was the corridor leading to the biggest living room, if Nick remembered correctly, and sure enough they stood in front of the big double wing door. Bonnie and Stu each grabbed one doorknob and waited for Judy and Nick. Judy's ears were twitching and a quick smile flit on her lips.

When the two older rabbits finally opened the door, Nick and Judy were greeted by a few dozen other rabbits waiting inside. Some were giggling or murmuring when they saw Nick, but it seemed nearly everybody was smiling.

"This isn't the moment you are going to bear me down and skin me, is it?" Nick asked with played nonchalance, but Judy could hear his distinct, fast and nervous heartbeat.

"Strewth, no!" Stu said and hugged Nick firmly. "We all wanted to officially welcome you to the Hopps family".

"And we want to thank you again for saving little Amie", Bonnie added and the mentioned bunny was hopping across the room and jumped directly onto Nick's arm, beaming with happiness.

Judy grinned while most of her older siblings were shaking hands with Nick or even hugging him, giving him a heartfelt welcome. Evelin stood a bit aside and waved in her direction. "That was your idea, wasn't it?" Judy asked her younger sister smiling.

"I thought this was long overdue", Eve snickered.

"That you had time to organize this between helping Mom and being intimate with your boyfriend", Judy winked and Eve looked at her in shock.

"You are not supposed to know that!"

Judy wanted to reply something when she caught a glimpse of a photo on the wall, that was now hanging right beside her academy photo: The one with her and Nick together and a few of her siblings. Bonnie put a paw on Judy's shoulder, who turned her head around.

"We thought, this would be the best place for everyone to see, darling". Her mother smiled proudly.

"That's really endearing, Mom!" Judy smiled with tears in her eyes. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it, my dear. But this is only a placeholder, don't forget!" the elderly rabbit winked at her daughter and Evelin grinned knowingly.

Later that evening Judy walked over to Nick again, who was now standing right before the wall with the picture of Judy and him. " Had enough of shaking hands already?" she snickered.

"More than enough, carrots", Nick sighed tired but also smiled in a good mood, putting his arm around his rabbit and looking at their picture.

"You know what that means, right?" Judy smirked slightly.

"That I am now officially allowed to date you?" Nick leaned over and kissed Judy between her ears. "And maybe even kiss you?"

Judy snickered and pointed with her nose to some other pictures. "Take a closer look at those pictures, maybe something will catch your eye", She winked and watched Nick look at the photos surrounding hers. After a while he said:

"I don't know most of those bunnies, but they seemed to be grouped by families".

"Yepp. By their own families. A photo of you being right beside mine is clearly a hint from my parents".

It took Nick a few moments to let that information sink in. Then, suddenly, his look changed to a somewhat puzzled one. Judy grinned and gave him a push with her hip.

* * *

The next morning Judy and Nick had a quick breakfast with the last dozen or so other rabbits that were a bit late. Bonnie and Evelin shooed them away so they could clean up the room and after a short walk around the house to get some fresh air, the two Zootopia Officers were sitting down on the same wooden bench beneath some trees where Judy found Nick yesterday morning.

"This case is really dodgy. Our evidence is ambiguous at best; and it seems our only suspect could not have done it", Judy sounded frustrated.

"I have an idea, carrots. But it might sound out-of-the-box", Nick said slowly.

"There seems to be nothing ordinary about this case, so … go on; I'm listening". She encouraged him, hopping from the bench and sitting in front of him in the grass.

"I got this idea because of the Nitrocellulose you found. It took me a while to remember, but I've worked with it previously".

"You've worked with explosives?" Judy raised her eyebrows.

"Not exactly, but I was a conjuror, and as always when it comes to magic tricks, distracting the audience is the most important part". Judy could visualize Nick as a drafty Thimblerigger and smiled.

"And you distracted them with explosives?" she grinned.

"Dumb bunny", He slyly winked. "Nitrocellulose is also known as flash paper. Do you know the magic trick where a magician folds a sheet of paper into a rose and with a quick movement of his hand there is a bright flash and he holds a real rose in his hands?"

"Of course…"

"Well, this isn't normal paper, but flash paper, or nitrocellulose as it is called technically. A small spark is enough for it to catch fire and it burns rather quickly in a bright flash. Therefore, flash paper. The audience is dazzled only for a very short moment, but that is enough for a conjuror to get the real rose from his sleeve, for example".

"Okay…" Judy thought for a moment. "But why was Aaron Leep working with flash paper?"

"That is the part where my idea gets off the beaten path. It reminds me of a trick, where you pull a trigger in a room without being there", Nick winked. "Aaron Leep has experimented with different kinds of easily flammable substances: Nitrocellulose, black powder, and this mixture of sulfur that could be found on quick matches. But disregarding the black powder, the other two aren't really explosives, only burn rather quickly".

"An Explosion is nothing more than a sudden and very fast …" Judy wanted to correct him, but Nick waved her objection aside.

"Yeah, I know, carrots! But that is not the point". They both grinned, but then Nick continued. "Black powder is too powerful, it leaves clearly visible traces. Also, it burns rather slow and hot enough to set other objects on fire. The sulfur mixture is a lot better, but it's also difficult to process".

"To Process? Into what?"

"Some kind of cord or thin rope".

"Okay, now you've definitely left me behind", Judy's ears drooped.

"Let's suppose you are an old, crabby rabbit, full of rage, hatred, jealousy and fear".

"I get the idea, Nick". Judy made an impatient gesture with her paw.

"You are tired of battling with your neighbor and tired of your life overall. There is a life insurance policy that could provide security for the only one that is still besteading you, but if you kill yourself it won't pay. So you not only decide to kill yourself, but you want to frame another one as guilty, and why not your long-time nemesis, your neighbor Frank Tailor. Perhaps it would be easier to mock a deadly accident, but bringing your enemy to jail is a much greater satisfaction. You just have to hustle him!"

"You decide to stab yourself with a kitchen knife that you stole out of the storage from the bakery. The lock of the window is no real barrier; as a carpenter you know exactly how such things are built. But using only the knife is not enough. It has to be hidden back in the storage room after the deadly act. You cannot ask anybody to assist you, but after the stabbing you will be too weak to bring it back. Also, the trail of blood would be perfidious. But you are really creative and think of a contraption to move the knife afterwards back to the storage room, then let all evidence of it vanish".

Judy was hanging on Nick's every word, but now she decided to interrupt him. "Until now this sounds very plausible, but how can you move the knife over the fence, back into the storage room, and then dispose of everything, all while you are bleeding to death?"

"This is the moment where we remember the flash paper. As you can fold an rose out of it, you can also twist a thin but robust enough cord. The kitchen knife has a hole at its grip to hang it onto your wall. Aaron Leep knotted the flash paper cord to the knife. With another cord of flash paper, that he put around the small hinge of the window like it was a pulley, he has a contraption to move the knife to the window. He takes some strong pain killers and drinks one or two bottles of his favorite booze. Then he goes to his backyard, prepares the towing device made of flash paper, stabs himself with the knife and sinks to the floor. He has no time to lose, he would be unconscious in less than a minute. He pulls on the cord, and the knife makes its way over the fence and when he feels some resistance he knows, that it is at the window. With his last ounce of strength, he ignites the flash paper cord that goes up in flames immediately without leaving any traces. Even the piece that was attached to the knife is gone and the crime weapon dropped into the storage room".

Nick finished his narration and Judy gazed at him in silence. After a few minutes, she said: "You were right. This idea sounds really out-of-the-box. It could be straight out of those Captain Basil novels!" she winked.

"Ouch, that hurts, carrots".

"Come on, this is ridiculous!" Judy snickered.

"At least it explains all of our evidence", Nick pouted.

"Maybe, but if we submit this story, we'll make a fool of ourselves". After a while she added. "But I agree with you, that Aaron Leep killed himself and, either with some contraption or with the help of an unknown mammal, placed the weapon of the crime into the storage room of his neighbor. It could not be Frank Tailor: neither the wounds fit, nor does the circumstances that Aaron Leep took a lot of pain killers without needing to and didn't defend himself or even move after being stabbed".

"That should be enough to exculpate Frank Tailor from suspicion".

"I think so", Judy smiled. "You and your curious ideas…"

"You mean curious ideas like a fox dating a rabbit?"

"Yepp, exactly those", She winked. "Okay, let's go back into the house. We have a report to write".

* * *

 ** _Many thanks to Sean Dalglish for his review and proofreading this chapter! (Mar 2017)_**


	11. 1x11 - The Vixen (Bonus Chapter)

_"Sure, I can get a little bit jealous. The good part about jealousy is that it comes from passion. It's also the dangerous part and it's an ugly emotion that hurts"._

 _Matthew McConaughey_

John was waiting in his car outside of the Bunnyburrow police station. He and Joshua were Judy's two older brothers of their parents first litter and as Judy had to bring back the police motorbike back to town before she left this afternoon with Nick to Zootopia again, he agreed on driving her home. As he was living in his own burrow with his wife and kits a bit out-of-town, this weekend was the first time he got time to visit his little sister and her boyfriend at their parents burrow. Even if he wasn't as hostile as Joshua against the Fox, he still was rather conservative and reluctant; but at least wanted to give Nick a fair chance. That is, he was willing to until this morning…

Judy opened the passenger door of his car and sat down in a jovial mood. "Thanks for waiting, Jonny. The Sheriff is a bit talkative, and it was difficult to convince him that Frank Tailor couldn't be the offender. At least we could prove this, even if we couldn't solve that case definitely. Hopefully, Chief Bogo won't be too disappointed" – Judy sounded a bit worried.

"You're sure about this, right? I mean, this wolf is not guilty of killing Mister Leep?" John asked while starting the motor and moving off.

"Yes, of course. We examined all evidence and there are just too many crudities".

"You mean that fanciful theory your… partner came up with? Maybe he just wants to take his kind under his wings".

"I'm speaking of scientific evidence, John. Nick tried to find an explanation and motive, but even if his theory isn't likely it doesn't change the facts. We are both sure, that Frank Tailor is not guilty of the zooicide" – Judy started to sound bugged. "And we are both officers at the ZPD, he never would let a guilty mammal get away just because they are both predators!"

"If you say so…" John answered with a quick shrug fall quiet. When they drove along the country road, coming closer to their parent's burrow, he suddenly pulled over and stopped the car at the roadside, turning around to Judy.

"Can we talk about something, Judy?"

"Sure?" she raised her eyebrows but sighed, guessing he wanted to talk about Nick.

"But please first listen carefully to me and don't rage outright, okay?"

Judy just sighed and her ears dropped, she had hoped to not have another conversation of this kind with her family again. During the last few days, most of her siblings were rather nice to Nick while he stayed at their burrow. But of course she also noted some doubting looks and a few of her siblings took her aside to have a serious talk with her; she always had to assure them that she was trusting him, that Nick was really nice to her and that they really love each other's and nobody was taking advantage of the other.

"I know you think that you are in love, sis" John started slowly. "But it's the first time you are allowing yourself such emotions. It's only natural to be overwhelmed and to see everything through rose-colored glasses. But you also have to keep in mind, that Nick is after all still a fox and we are rabbits. You cannot trust predators blindly, even in the present age. They feel superior to prey because of their greater power and especially foxes will always try to outwit you."

"Oh, shut your mouth, John. I'm really fed up of all those prejudices against predators and foxes in particular! I don't care what species we are, I love him just the way he is. And he loves me, despite my family partly acting like racists."

"I believe you when you say that you are trusting him, Ju. But how long are you together now, a few weeks? How much do you really know about him?" John said, and when Judy wanted to answer something he holds up his hand and continued: "Listen, Judy! I promise that I really didn't mean to eavesdrop on Nick. This morning I forgot something in my car and wanted to fetch it when I heard someone lingering between the trees. I cocked my ears and could overhear that Fox talking on the phone".

"Well, why not? It's hard to find a quiet spot in the burrow, especially in the morning when everyone is on the go. So if he wanted to talk with someone on the phone, it's only natural that he went outside for it!"

"He was apologizing to someone that he was short of time in the last weeks. And he also said that he was working a lot but he still loves her nevertheless. That he was just visiting some friends right now and that she must not bother about him", John sighed sadly.

"That … doesn't mean anything! Maybe he was talking with a friend or even his mother or…"

"Martha" John interrupted her.

"What?"

"He ended the call with 'I love you, Martha'. You aren't calling your mom with her forename, are you? Or do you know a friend of him with that name?"

"Oh please – just quit it, John!"

"I'm just afraid of you getting hurt, Judy" – he slowly put his paw on her shoulder and smiled softly. "Be careful and not too trustful".

"Can we please drive on? I still have some things to do until we drive back to Zootopia" Judy was crossing her arms and turning her head, looking out of the side window.

John sighed but nodded, starting the motor again.

* * *

Judy was packing their backpack, being glad for the first time to finally leave the burrow. Up to now, it was always difficult to go back to Zootopia after she had spent a few days for a visit at home. After all, she was missing her family, the country air, the fresh fruits, and vegetables. But the talk with John made it clear once again that it would take quite some time and effort for Nick and her and her family to really get used to each other.

A phone rang – Nick's ringtone. He had forgotten his phone on the table when Evelin collected him for a 'small surprise' ten minutes ago. Judy hesitated, but as she had to bag the phone anyway for him, she could also have a quick glimpse … the picture of a good looking vixen was visible on his phone, 'Martha calling' standing in big letters above it – then the call ended again, and the standby screen showed again with a picture of Judy sleeping on his couch, smiling dreamily. She sighed and with a quick head-shaking, she put his phone into her pocket. Nick wouldn't cheat on her, John was talking nonsense! She shouldered the backpack and left the guestroom, walking to the living room to search for Evelin and Nick. Her sister had promised to drive them to the station and their train would depart in around 45 minutes. Nick's phone vibrated in her pocket and she stopped. Should she take a look at the new message? She hated herself for only thinking about it! But then the image of the vixen came back into her mind and she heard John's voice: "He ended the call with 'I love you, Martha'".

She rolled her eyes and pulled Nick's phone out of her pocket. He wouldn't have let it laying around for her to see if he had any secrets within it. And he occasionally had used her phone, too. She switched the display on There was one unanswered call and a new message. She opened the notification center and saw a preview of it: "Thank you again for calling after that long time passed. Maybe we can meet for a coffee? I miss you and …" – it was again from a contact saved as 'Martha'.

Judy switched the phone off again. She didn't know what to think. 'You have to keep in mind, that Nick is after all still a fox and we are rabbits. You cannot trust predators blindly, even in the present age.' – it was John's voice again in her head. Rubbish! Nick wouldn't …

"Juju!" it was Evelin, putting her paw from behind onto her sister's shoulder.

Judy spun around with a surprised facial expression, putting Nick's phone back into her pocket. "Eve! I was already searching for you."

"Yeah, that's the reason I had to call your name three times until you reacted. Is everything okay?"

"What? Yes… yes, I'm okay. Just a little bit homesick already".

"Come on, they are all waiting outside to say goodbye" Evelin smiled and linked her arm with Judy's.

* * *

Judy and Nick were standing at a window of the Zootopia Express and waved goodbye to Evelin and Amie while the train was departing Bunnyburrow. When they sat down again, Nick watched his little rabbit for a while who was looking out of the window, bracing her chin on her paw.

"You're missing them already, aren't you?" Nick smiled softly, putting his paw on her shoulder.

"Yeah" Judy sighed, "As exhausting they may be, I love each and every one of them".

"You have a wonderful family, carrots"

"They have their bright moments", Judy muttered and turned around to face him. "You know that I would have confronted them all for you".

Nick sighed with a smile, "I would have never demanded something like this from you".

"What would have been the alternative?"

"Carrots…?" Nick sounded a bit confused.

"Maybe I am just a dumb and callow bunny, but I _love_ you. I would have confronted an army to be with you. And you are just saying that you would have never demanded this from me? Do you think you are not worthy to fight for?"

"What's the matter, Judy? You are talking nonsense…" Nick furrowed his brows and seemed to be puzzled.

"You always say, that you love me. But what does this even mean for you? Showing the white feather when it gets a little bit inconvenient? Because even when my parents are now somewhat pacified, there are still some rabbits like PopPop that love nothing better than to flay you alive. And I'm willing to bear up against them – for you! But if you don't feel the same, if you aren't willing to stand by me in spite of everything, please say it now. Because I cannot live a charade and…"

"Oh, shut up Judy…" Nick finally interrupted her with a sad look. "I have no idea what suddenly gave you this impression of me. But I assure you, as long as you are willing to bear with me I will never leave your side from now on."

Judy started to sob and smiled a little, rubbing her cheek against his paw. "You really mean it, Nick?"

"Boy Scout honor" Nick returned her smile and gave her a kiss. Judy put her arms around his body and hugged him.

"There, there… you bunnies are so emotional" he said with a light grin and gave her another kiss between her ears, holding her tight.

"Sorry, it seems as if I'm really a dumb bunny", she smiled with a sigh.

"That's my fortune, who knows if you would bother with me otherwise", he snickered.

* * *

It was late afternoon when the train finally passed the outer districts of Zootopia. They would arrive at the main station in just a few minutes and Judy already strapped their backpack when Nick coughed slightly.

"Uhm… carrots? Actually, I wanted to tell you something, but after your little emotional outburst earlier it wasn't the right moment to do so".

"What is it, foxtrot?" Judy was smiling happily again, all doubts her brothers had tried to persuade her of were gone. She was even feeling a bit guilty that she insinuated Nick those bad and dishonest intentions.

"Staying in your parent's burrow for the last few days made me think about a few things. And I really appreciate that you never asked me about my own family. The truth is, that I didn't have a lot of contact with my Mom during the last few years. I would have only disappointed her how I lived and…" – he sighed – "…whatever, I called her this morning. Just wanted to say 'hello' and 'how are you', or what else you are talking with your Mom about on the phone. Anyway, I told her that I'm arriving today in Zootopia again after a short trip and she asked to meet for a coffee…"

Judy smiled at him, thinking about the overheard phone call and the received message. She knew that there must be a simple explanation for everything; now she felt even more guilty for only contemplating what John suggested.

"I will already go home and start to unpack our backpack. You can catch up after your reunion, there is a lot for you two to talk about".

"Actually…" Nick started to rub sheepishly his neck, "…I hoped you would accompany me. When I'm going to tell her that I have a girlfriend, I'm sure she wants to get to know you as soon as possible nevertheless. We can just as well get over and done with it right now…?"

The train arrived on the platform and stopped, and Judy linked her arm with Nick's, walking to the door with all the other mammals.

"Well, after you had to meet my whole family this week, I think it's only fair if I at least meet your mother. She isn't going to maul me on sight, is she?" Judy giggled but seemed to be a bit nervous nonetheless.

"To be honest I'm not quite sure how she will react, carrots. But it'll go off all right, I'm sure".

Nick had some troubles to get off the train with his crutches and nearly fell over when a rhino jostled from behind. Judy already wanted to give him a lecture when Nick put his healthy paw on her shoulder and shook his head.

"Forget about it" he smiled softly and made a short gesture with his head. "Come on, carrots. Let's go to the front hall. I didn't arrange a specific place where to meet, just sent her the time of our a…"

"Nicholas?" a female voice said and Nick paused at once, turning his head around. The vixen was standing beside a beverage vending machine on their platform. She was about Nicks size, wearing a white dress with purple and green flowers. However, even when she was not as young as she was on the photo Nick had assigned to her on his phone, she was still a handsome vixen.

"Hey, Mom," Nick said a bit shy and smiled lightly.

Martha Wilde was already at his side and hugged him with a happy smile. "Oh, my sweet little pompom!"

"Mom!" Nick said annoyed, definitely not wanting to let Judy know this – or any other – nickname his mother had in petto.

"I thought you were only slightly injured!" she held her paws on his shoulders and was watching him from the bottom up with a worried look on her face. "You have a broken leg and even a broken arm! How did that happen? And is this a scar above your right eye?" Then she suddenly stopped, scenting the air and then Nick's fur carefully.

"Mom, it's not as worse as it might look" he tried to reassure her, then noticing her different look and her sniffing. After staying a few days in a burrow it would need more than a shower to get rid of the rabbit scent. He quickly became adjusted to it, especially since Judy was his partner on the force and being together with her for half of the day since a few months now. But for his Mom, this heavy scent was somewhat alarming.

"Were you mugged by some prey again?" she asked worried and a bit daunting.

"Mom…"

"Did they do this to you?"

"No, listen, Mom…"

"You're so soaked with this … odd scent, were you held captive by them? Did you escaped?"

"Mom! Stop it already, none of these things happened! Also, I know how to defend myself by now".

A few other mammals had stopped and been looking in their direction. Martha returned their looks bloody cold, then finally noticed the rabbit with a backpack on her shoulders that was standing rather close to them and also watched her.

"Bugger off!" the vixen snarled in her direction, showing her teeth. Judy's muzzle twitched nervously and her ears winced, but she wasn't scared and running away like Martha had expected, just looking with a coy expression up to her son.

"Mom, that is Judy", Nick quickly put a paw on his mother's arm, trying to ease the situation. "I wrote about her in my last mail to you, we go on patrol together".

"Oh…" Martha stumbled and her ears drooped. "I thought… err… you didn't write that she is …", she hesitated when Nick sighed lightly.

"Hello, Misses Wilde. It's nice to meet you", Judy smiled friendly, made two steps towards the vixen and reached out with her paw.

A little bit constrained, Nick's mother turned to Judy again and shook her paw. "Hello, Officer. Nice to meet you, too. Sorry, I'm somewhat out of it because of Nicks injuries. I didn't mean to be…" – Martha suddenly congealed, her nose twitching slightly. She boggled when she recognized not only the same scent her son had all over his fur, but she could definitely perceive Nick's scent mark from the small bunny.

"Toothless croc!" she whispered winced, starring first at Judy, then turned her face to Nick again with wide eyes. "Did you scent marked that bunny, Nicholas?"

Nick rubbed his neck with his healthy paw and had a crooked smile, "Well…"

After reeking again the vixen perceived not only the generic scent of rabbits on her son but now recognized a very specific scent that was dominant. "Did she….", Martha hesitated and looked again at Judy, who was just smiling shyly with back set ears and with the paw searching for Nick's. "Are you two…?!" she asked bewildered, turning to Nick again.

"She's my girlfriend, Mom", Nick nodded slowly, grabbed Judy's trembling paw and continued nervously: "We are in a relationship … for quite a while now".

Martha and Nick were looking at each other's eyes in silence. Nobody said a word for several seconds, but for Judy, it seemed like forever. Finally, the vixen took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

"Maybe we… can have a cup of coffee?" she suggested with a light smile. "It must be tiring to stand with your injuries, Nicholas". She turned to Judy, "Of course you're invited, too".

* * *

They decided to go into a small café right outside the railway station; Judy went a few meters ahead while Martha braced her son, having some light small talk. The rabbit holds the door open for the foxes to enter and they took a table with a window facing the large station square.

"What can I get for you, Misses Wilde?" Judy asked while putting down her backpack beside the bench.

"Oh… just a coffee with some sugar for me. But no need to inconvenience yourself, Miss…?" Martha smiled somewhat but Judy waved with her hand.

"It's Judy Hopps, but just call me Judy. And that's no trouble at all, I'll be back in a few minutes" she smiled friendly and walked over to the counter.

Nick had leaned his crutches against a pillar. When noticing the uneasy facial expression of his mother, he sighed: "Let's get this over with already".

"I'm just a worried mother, Nicholas," Martha said with a soft voice, putting her paw on his. "I confess that I was a little bit skeptical when you wrote me about your plans on going to the police academy. You were always sailing close to the wind with your … businesses. I thought that it was just part of a new hustle".

She kept silence for a moment and Nick looked down to the table: "Mom…"

"That's okay, Nicholas. You are my son, I will always love you and I settled for your way of life over time".

"Oh, thanks…" Nick whispered sarcastically.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy when I was wrong this time! It's just… that rabbit…"

Nick turned his head to Judy who was still waiting at the counter and sighed again, this time with a smile. "She showed me that I can be more than just a hustler and was the first one since a long time to put her trust in me, regardless of me being a fox".

"Did you put your scent mark on her on purpose?"

"I think I'm really in love with her, Mom" Nick smiled at her.

"Does she know…", his mother began halting. "I mean, what an intimate relationship means to us foxes?"

"We had… a short talk about it", Nick said and sighed impatiently. "And she is more than okay with it, rabbits are also quite monogamous, you know?"

"She really seems to be cute", the vixen said with a glance to the rabbit who was currently ordering their drinks.

"Better not call her cute when she is in earshot", Nick winked with a light smile. "She doesn't like to be reduced to her appearance. But yes, she is a real cutie".

His mother smiled sympathetically but then got serious again. "Judging by your overall scent you were visiting her family? I mean, you are really reeking like you literally followed her into a burrow", Martha still sounded worried.

"We were visiting her parents in Bunnyburrow, yes".

"And how did they treat you? As far as I know are rabbits quite proud of their big families. They surely were hoping for her daughter meeting another rabbit instead of … you know, a fox". Martha said quietly, and when her son wanted to object she added quickly: "Don't get me wrong, Nicholas! Maybe it's somewhat odd, especially for you, to have a relationship between predator and prey, but I'm really okay with it as long as you both are happy! But it's difficult to not notice that you brought back a small souvenir from the countryside…", she nodded in the direction of Nick's crutches.

"Well, yes… maybe her parents were somewhat restrained at first, but my injuries aren't their fault, Mom! It was just an accident when I tried to save one of Judy's little sisters from being rolled over by a wagon".

"You … what?!", Martha's eyes grew big.

"He saved the life of my little sister Amie by dodging her aside. One of our wagons rolled down the hill towards her by accident", Judy said proudly with a big smile, glancing to Nick. She put a cup of coffee in front of Nick' mother and a latte macchiato with caramel syrup in front of Nick; then she sat down beside him with a cup of hot chocolate with cream for herself. "You can be really proud of your son, Misses Wilde", Judy said smiling.

"Oh, I am!" Martha said with a big smile. "And, please call me just Martha. Maybe you can tell me more about my pompom's brave deed?"

Judy snickered with a wide grin and Nick rolled his eyes. "Mom…!"

* * *

They were sitting together on Judy's bed, watching the latest episode of the 'Big Paw Theory'. After the meeting with Martha, they decided to buy a pizza on-the-go and go to Judy's place. When the show finished, the rabbit lowered the volume of the TV and threw the empty pizza box into the trash bin under her desk. Nick was very quiet since they bid goodbye to his mother, and Judy was wondering why. Their meeting worked out quite well as far as she could judge, much better than Nick's first encounter with her parents. She sat down on the floor right on the bed and looked up to him.

"I think your mother is really nice", she smiled.

"Thanks, carrots. I think she likes you, too", Nick smiled somewhat.

"And still you are looking as if you had dropped a blueberry ice cream cone", she winked at him.

"It's nothing, carrots", he patted with his healthy paw on the mattress beside him.

"Nothing is nothing, pompom", Judy grinned and hopped onto the bed, snuggling up to him.

Nick narrowed his eyes and snarled quietly at her, "Jude the dude, behave yourself!"

Judy narrowed her eyes, too, and replied his looks. "I think we need a list of forbidden nicknames, foxtrot!"

"Agreed, cottontail!"

They both snickered and Nick put his arm around Judy's shoulders.

"What is it that bothers you?" she asked while cuddling against his body.

"It's …", he hesitated, then sighed. "I'm not exactly what you can call a good catch. Your parents probably had a nice rabbit for you as a partner in their mind".

Judy groaned: "Nicholas Piberius Wilde!" – he flinched, but she continued. "I thought we had made it clear that I would stand by you, come what may! I love you, Nick. But I'm asking you this only one more time, and I want a definitive answer. Do you love and stand by me, or do you prefer to puss out?"

The fox was watching her dumbfounded, the little rabbit's facial expression was a wild mix of anger, despair and begging he never saw on her. How should he explain his mother's concerns she voiced a few hours ago?

"Dumb Bunny", he smiled and wanted to hug Judy, but she shoved his arm away for the first time and continued her stare.

"I asked you something, Nick".

Nick sighed and smiled soothing, "Do I love you? Yes, yes I do".

She sighed: "Can you be serious, just this once?"

The Fox slouched his shoulders, for such a small mammal Judy could be really stubborn. "Okay, listen, Judy. My Mom really likes you, and she is okay with our relationship. But she also expressed her concerns regarding your family. She fears, that when in doubt you will finally comply with their wishes, knowing about the strong family ties of rabbits. But there is one thing she doesn't know".

Judy had a dry mouth and looked down, whispering: "That is?"

Nick put his paw under her chin and pulled her head up until he could look into her eyes again: "You".

"Nick…", she said ruefully smiling.

"Judy – you never do something halfway, that's for sure. The moment you said that you love and stand by me, I knew you meant it. And that's everything I need to know. I love you and will stand by you". Judy was already teary-eyed and wiped with her paw over her eyes, smiling. "And that's my last and definitive answer, Miss Judith Laverne Hopps!" he added with a wink and poked her nose with his.

Judy started to laugh and sob at the same time, holding him tight. After a while she gave him a soft kiss on his cheek, "And your mother really likes me?" she snickered.

"She thinks that you're cute", Nick grinned when Judy groaned and rolled her eyes. "And you know what? She's absolutely right!"

"Dumb fox", Judy smiled and snuggled up to him again.


	12. 2x01 - Tempus fugit (Overture)

_"You only need one man to love you. But him to love you free like a wildfire, crazy like the moon, always like tomorrow, sudden like an inhale and overcoming like the tides. Only one man and all of this"._ ** _C. JoyBell C._**

* * *

Since Nick had to do desk duty, Judy had alternating partners for a while during her patrol shifts: The first week she was with Fangmeyer and the next two with McHorn. She also did shifts with Wolford, Higgins and Snarlof, but she always found it difficult. They were all so much bigger and always trying to spare her; they also didn't have too much in common, so they talked about work most of the time. At least she benefitted from their vast experience and while working for a few days with Marki, she was inspired to take some advanced courses in criminal psychology and profiling. That also meant that Nick had to do those, too – Judy was most of the time talked about the learning matter and as it turned out he was a natural when it came to putting himself in the position of others; his life as a Conmammal prepared him quite well for this and a bit of additional theory couldn't hurt. Working on desk duty also made him quite good with computers. He also took a few courses in computer forensics after Bradley, a jaguar working in the forensics lab and a specialist in computer forensics, demonstrated during a case of identity theft how useful such skills are. After nearly three months he was faster in typing with only his right paw then Judy was with both of hers.

Shortly after they returned from Bunnyburrow they made an initial visit to Doctor Alisson. She was a nice rabbit, about the same age as Doctor Greenwood, and even Judy lost her timidity rather quickly. In the first couple of weeks, Nick had to make a visit twice a week to check the healing process of his abdominal wound. But after three weeks, he only had to come once a week and after the fifth week she told him that everything had healed completely. After six weeks, they took off the cast on his right leg and for one week a physiotherapist helped him every day with exercises to train his muscles and gain the original strength in his leg. But this took another few weeks in which he spent even more time in the gym of the precinct than Judy. When in the twelfth week, Doctor Alisson also finally removed his arm cast, he changed his training program to support his arms, too. Five weeks of hard exercises and physiotherapy later, he had finally recovered completely and was back on duty by Judy's side.

Judy and Nick visited her parents every two weeks on the weekends: After work on Friday they took the last train to Bunnyburrow, where they stayed until Sunday afternoon. Because not every member of the Hopps' family lived in their parent's burrow, it took nearly two months and four visits until Nick had met everyone at least once. With the exception of Joshua and a few other older siblings, everyone seemed to like Nick. Every week between their visits Bonnie and Stu sent a package with fresh fruits and vegetables, and sometimes even a cake, to the city couple.

Taking turns with the apartment they slept over worked at the beginning. After a while each of them had enough spare clothes in each apartment, but a single room to live, learn, work and sleep in was soon not enough. They considered a few options and arrived at the decision to move in together. Nick had quite some savings and with their combined salary they should have been able to afford a bigger apartment, but still stay in the inner city. They even got more than they searched for: The cousin of a nephew of an associate partner of Mister Big owned a large apartment complex in the downtown area near the Savannah Central Park. On each of the eight floors were four condominium suites with a rent at least six times what Judy and Nick could afford. But as Judy was the Godmother of one of Mister Big's grandchildren, they got a special family price. At first Judy was hesitant to accept such a generous offer. But it turned out to be rather difficult for a predator-prey-couple to rent a flat in the upper-middle class; there was still so much prejudice, even in the city of Zootopia. After two months of searching for an affordable flat without results, they finally accepted. Their apartment was on the fifth floor and big enough to be comfortable for a three-person-family of big mammals, like wolves. For Nick and Judy, it was nearly a palace. They barely had enough belongings to even fill a single room, but it was their first own joint lodging and over time numerous friends and family members endowed them with old, conditioned furniture and it really became domestic for them after a while. Their very own place of refuge from the daily grind.

* * *

It was a nice autumn day when Nick and Judy called it a day. They had a day of desk duty and decided to work out in the gym. It was about seven o'clock when Judy came out of the shower and went to her locker. When she went to open it, she found a sticky note on the door. Judy let her looks wander: The only other mammal in the locker room was Francine. The cow elephant was trying to be conspicuously inconspicuous. Judy read the note and raised her eyebrows: 'You can always find some frosted tori close to me. Ask me for a message.'

Judy put on her pants and a cushy pullover, putting her dirty clothes into a sports bag and shouldering it. With the sticky note in her paw she left the locker room and waited for Nick. But when Fangmeyer left the male locker room a few minutes later, he stopped for a moment.

"Hey, Judy. If you are waiting for Nick: He isn't in there anymore".

"Oh?" Judy looked puzzled and Fangmeyer winked with a grin.

"Just thought I should let you know… have a nice evening!"

Something was quite strange here. Fangmeyer acted, as if he knew exactly where Nick was, but didn't want to tell her and why didn't he wait for her? Mumbling something angrily, she wanted to go straight to the subway station in front of the precinct. But then she remembered the sticky note.

"Frosted tori…" she mumbled and went back to the front hall to Clawhauser's desk. "Hey, Ben!" Judy waved impatiently to the cheetah who was just eating one of those tori – also called donuts.

"Heeeey, Judy!" Clawhauser was beaming with this glare in his eyes he always had when he wanted to tell someone something. But he didn't this time; he just gazed at her, smiling and eating another donut.

Judy laid the sticky note on his desk. "Is this from you?"

"No". He was beaming even more now and was visibly struggling to stay quiet.

"Okay, but do you have a message for me then?" Judy asked impatiently. Why was everybody acting so strange this evening?

"Yepp!" the cheetah was nearly falling off his chair, giddy with excitement. He took another donut from the box, handing it to Judy. "You should definitely try this one, darling!"

Judy's mouth was left open while she looked at him with disbelief. "Thank you, Ben, but no. I just thought someone had left a message for me here". She wanted to turn around to finally go home, but Clawhauser's squeaking voice stopped her.

"No, wait Judy!" She stopped and had an inquiring look. "You really-really want to taste this donut! Pretty please!" Benjamin sounded really desperate and looked pleading at her, reaching his paw out with the donut. Judy sighed, guessing that today must be full moon or something. She took the donut and slowly took a bit. It was one with carrot flavor, quite tasty, but actually too sweet for her now. But Benjamin Clawhauser looked satisfied and waved her a goodbye, so Judy turned around, rolled her eyes and wandered to the front doors. It took her a few steps until she noticed that there was something strange inside the donut: A white piece of paper, rolled together to fit inside.

"What the…?" she turned her head to ask Clawhauser about it, but the cheetah was apparently having a talk on the phone, not looking in her direction but his tail was really excited. Perplexed, Judy took the small piece of paper, held the donut in her mouth and uncurled the note: 'I'm not a beaver, but you rescued me nonetheless.' It was another riddle and it dawned on her, that Nick might eventually have something to do with it. She actually wanted to get home, have an easy evening on the couch and maybe read a book or watch TV; but now she was curious.

"Not a beaver… I know quite a lot of mammals who aren't beavers". Judy said to herself, reading the note again. "You rescued me. But as an police officer I'm permanently rescuing others". She snorted frustrated, but then thought again. This note was obviously from Nick and he was playing some strange scavenger hunt with her. She looked at the note again, then turned it around and paused: There was a flower sketched on the backside. "Oh, of course!" Judy hit her forehead with a paw. During their first case with the Nighthowlers, she saved fifteen animals and while on the search for Mister Otterton his yoga teacher confused him with a beaver! Nick and Judy were still in contact with the Ottertons, their shop wasn't too far away. Judy walked for about five minutes and wondered if she would meet Nick there.

When she finally arrived at the Florists, she found, much to her surprise, that the shop was still open, but no Nick. She pushed against the door and a little bell rang. Mister and Misses Otterton were arranging some flowers and turned their heads.

"Good evening!" Judy smiled and Misses Otterton flung her arms around Judy's neck.

"Hello Judy, my dear!" she beamed, her husband was holding a really big bouquet and smiled at her.

"Good to see you, Judy!" he winked and handed her the bouquet with 24 red roses. Judy looked puzzled.

"For me? But…" she wanted to protest and say that she was searching for Nick.

"There is a card for you within the flowers". Misses Otterton interrupted her and winked again.

Judy started to grin, put the bouquet on the table and picked up the card from it. She folded it open: 'There is a rose for every week in my live that was so much better with you by my side, but even their beauty is fading beside you'. Judy was struggling with tears of joy, there were two dozen roses, and it was on the day, six months ago that they kissed in the Hollow-Club after the Gazelle concert. She had totally forgotten their little anniversary and was all emotional that Nick kept it in mind. Then noticed another sticky note on the backside of the card: "For you I would do a hundred-yard dash in record time." Judy was crying and laughing at the same time, and Mister and Misses Otterton shared a mutual knowing smile.

"I think you have another goal, my dear", Misses Otterton winked at Judy and handed her the bouquet again.

"Thank you!" Judy smiled and wiped her tears away with her other paw. Mister Otterton held the door open for her and she waved a quick goodbye. The next one was easy: '100-yard dash' was the nickname of Flash, the sloth working at the DMV. But it was quite a walk to the Department of Mammal Vehicles, also, the sports bag on her shoulder was getting heavy and now she had to carry the roses, too. It was an enchanting gesture, but not very well thought out – but at that moment, a white limousine drove up and a jaguar got out of it.

"May I give you a ride, Miss Hopps?" Renato Manchas, the black jaguar and chauffeur of the Tundratown Refrigerated Luxury Limo Service, opened the rear door of the limousine and smiled at Judy.

"Mister Manchas!" Judy reached to shake his hand. "You, too?" The jaguar just winked.

"May I have your sports bag? I will put it in the trunk, I don't think you will need it tonight". Judy handed him the bag and climbed into the car. After the black jaguar got into the driver's seat, he opened the divider and asked: " Do you have an address for me, Miss Hopps?"

"Yes, to the DMV, please!" she winked and the jaguar nodded.

The ride lasted ten minutes and when they arrived, there was only one other car in the parking lot. Judy recognized the car at once and got out of the limousine with a sigh. When she was beside the driver's side, the window opened and the sloth's face was – very slowly – smiling at her.

"Nice… to… see… you… again… Judy…"

"Hey, Flash!" She hoped it wouldn't take all night for him to give her the next hint and smiled.

"I… have… something… for… you…"

"What?"

"…from… Nick…"

"What is it, Flash?"

"…that… I… shall… give… to…"

"Me?!"

"…you!" It took Flash nearly a full minute to grab another big package from the passenger seat, and another minute until he handed it to Judy, who was anxiously waiting for him.

"Thanks, Flash! See you!" she grabbed the package that was nearly half her size but not very heavy and ran back to the limousine. Back on the seat, she unraveled the big tie around it and found a beautiful dress inside in navy blue. Judy clasped her paws onto her mouth and gulped; the material was made out of the smoothest silk she had ever had in her paws and it gleamed slightly in the moonlight. There was an envelope lying in the box and Judy opened it impatiently. This time, there was a photo inside; a rather old one, made by one of her siblings nearly 17 years ago during her play in the carrot festival. It showed her lying on the stage, covered with ketchup and playing dead. Judy laughed and nearly started to weep again. It took her only a few seconds until she said: "Mister Manchas?"

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"To the natural history museum".

"Yes, Ma'am!"

They had to drive to the other side of the city, back to the precinct. Judy let no grass grow under her feet, made sure the dividers were closed and quickly changed on the backseat. The dress had one shoulder strap and was slit at her legs; it was really body-hugging, but fit her perfectly. She just finished in time when they arrived at the museum. Mister Manchas opened the door for her and Judy got out of the car shyly.

"How do I look?" she asked, the black jaguar nodded with a smile.

"You really look beautiful, Miss Hopps. I will wait for you here". He closed the door again and waited outside the car while Judy slowly walked up the stairs to the main entrance. She was expecting to finally meet Nick, but there was only yet another sticky note on the door: 'Go to the hairy ancestor of the iceman'. Another riddle… but Judy grinned and tried to open the door: For a wonder (more or less) it swung open, and she slowly walked along the main hallway. Only a few dimmed lights were on and it took her a while to find her destination: The big mammoth at the back entrance that was leading to the station. She walked around the statue and finally found a small black box with a white tie on the pedestal. A note was lying beneath, which said: 'I gazed up at the stars as I waited for you. They twinkled down at me, like a huge handful of diamonds someone had coated in glue and thrown on the ceiling. But in comparison with your eyes they are only dull marbles'. Judy was glad she was apparently alone at the moment, because she started to cry again, becoming emotional. But it really hit her after she opened the small box. Inside was a golden necklace with an orange gem pendant in the shape of a carrot, combined with a smaller green one for the foliage. With blurred vision, she put the necklace on and walked back to the main entrance, left the museum and to the still waiting white limousine. Mister Manchas was still waiting outside and opened the door for her.

"I have no clue where to go next…" she snuffled with a smile. The black jaguar handed her another small box:

"Don't worry, just take a seat Miss Hopps".

Judy nodded, took the small box, and got in the car. She opened it and immediately laughed; inside was a silk handkerchief and a small note: 'You rabbits are so emotional'.

She switched on the light and looked at her mirror image on the window. With some care she dried her eyes and stroked over her fur a few times. After all her crying she really looked horrible, but just when she wanted to switch off the light again she noticed another small bag on the seat opposite her. Inside was a hand mirror, some lipstick and rouge of the same brand she owned (but never used) and a small brush. Again with a short note: 'You look quite beautiful even without all of this, you know? But I bet you were already cursing that you didn't have time to dress unhurriedly at home'. She laughed and nearly started to cry again, but then chose to apply just a small bit of makeup and brush her fur on her head, arms and legs.

They drove for about another ten minutes, and Judy sensed, that her little journey was slowly coming to an end. She had not paid attention to their route and did not recognize the buildings they were now passing. Based on the surroundings, they must be in Sahara Square, a part of Zootopia she wasn't in very often due to the high temperatures during the day. She searched for the biggest building, the Oasis Hotel, for orientation. Even at night it was brightly illuminated, but she couldn't find it. Maybe she was wrong about being in Sahara Square? The car was slowing down and finally came to a stop. But it wasn't Mister Manchas who opened the door for her, but a cheetah.

"Good evening, Miss Hopps, and welcome to the Oasis Hotel", he addressed her formally. "Your company is already waiting for you in the foyer".

Judy wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not. She took a step outside of the limousine and stood on a red carpet, leading directly to the magnificent entrance of the world famous Oasis Hotel. Uncertainly, she stepped out of the car, nodded smiling to the cheetah and slowly walked over the red carpet. She felt like those VIPs she saw on TV. Even for autumn, it was really hot this evening, as it always was in Sahara Square, but she was sure that she would even be hot in Tundratown at the moment. Another cheetah, standing beside the entrance door, opened the door as she approached and a cool breeze of conditioned air blew in her face. She blinked and when she opened her eyes again she saw Nick. He was standing nonchalantly at a marble column in a white made-to-measure suit with a shirt in the same navy blue as her dress and a black necktie. His smile was soft and in his paw he held another single red rose. When she entered the hotel, he approached her with a sly grin.

"Happy anniversary, carrots", he winked, passing her the rose and held his arm out for her to grab. Judy blinked a single tear away, took the rose and his arm, not knowing what to say. Nick exerted himself for this and she was simply voiceless. The fox escorted her first to the elevators, and then to the restaurant on the top floor. A cheetah finally guided them to a nice table for two near the windows; the perspective was the limit and Nick held out the chair for her to sit down. He took the chair on the opposite side and when he looked with moony eyes at Judy, she finally found her voice again and whispered:

"I love you, sly fox".

"I love you, too, Judy", and his soft voice vocalizing her by her real name this time, made her heart and every other organ she had melt in a hot flood of emotions. Preferably, she would have jumped on the table and kissed Nick as passionately as she could, but just when she was pondering it, a waiter came and served them a bottle of champagne. Her fox took his glass, and he said with a smile:

"To the best thing that ever happened in my life; to you!"

Judy took her glass, too, and replied: "To the best thing that ever happened to us!"

* * *

 _ **Many thanks to Sean Dalglish for his review and proofreading this chapter! (Mar 2017)**_


	13. 2x02 - Money has no smell

_Ghandi said: "Better to be violent if there's violence in our hearts than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence."_

 _Ghandi also said: "I object to violence because when it appears to do good the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent."_

* * *

The morning promised a nice day and Judy was a little early on her way to the precinct to make a short visit at the ZCB, the Zootropia Central Bank. She wore a jeans and a blouse with a thin blazer, but her police badge was visible attached to her belt. Before entering the bank, she had a look around, then pushed against the revolving door made of glass. Immediately a breeze of dry conditioned air was blowing through her fur and she twitched her nose. After letting her look wander she picked one of the four opened counters and smiled friendly to the clerk behind it. He was a badger with black fur and dressed in a business suit.

"Hello, Mister …" Judy took a closer look at the nametag of the badger, "Craftie! My name is Judy Hopps, and I want to open a savings account."

The badger smiled slightly and nodded. "Of course, Miss Hopps. Do you want to open it in your own name?"

"It is a gift for my godchild, she will be the beneficiary on her 16th birthday. Until then I want to pay into the account monthly. That's possible, isn't it?"

"Of course, Miss Hopps! Could you please fill out these form papers?" he handed her a standard form to open a new account, then proceeded to enter a few things into his PC. "What is your full name and occupation?"

"My name is Judy Hopps, I'm working for …" Judy was suddenly interrupted by the shouting of five masked mammals that had entered the bank, shooting with automatic weapons into the ceiling.

"Everybody be silent and lay on the floor! Put your phones out of your pocket and lay it visibly beside you! Anybody who tries to be a hero is shot!"

The leader of the group barked a few further commands to his companions, who immediately spread around the big entrance hall, two jumping over the corners and threatening the clerks with their weapons. Most of the other mammals were already kneeling or laying down, all others were rummaging in their pockets for their phones. That is except Judy; she hesitated for a moment but decided that she could do nothing useful right now. The moment she got on her knees, her eyes met the ones of the leader who was the only one speaking of the group. She sustained her look just a short moment too long, when the leader – a dire wolf she noticed – made a step in her direction.

"Hey, are you deaf little bunny?" he barked and Judy winced; she recognized that voice and gasped.

"You?!" it was more of a statement than a question, but the dire wolf didn't hesitate for a moment. He pointed the gun on her…

It loudly popped two times. Judy was already kneeling on one knee when the bullets hit her. She grasped with her paw to her abdomen and her fur and blouse was wet with the viscous red fluid. Disbelieving she lifted her paw and gazed on it. Her still standing leg was trembling and finally buckled. A third pop and she was thrown back. Judy felt inanimately to the floor and a red puddle grew fast under her. Her police badge still on her belt, the blood was running over its emblem.

* * *

 **24 hours before**

"It's difficult enough to find something convenient for you, don't ask me what to give to little Judy!" Nick sighed to Judy while entering the precinct. "What about a coupon for one-time-false-parking."

Judy rolled her eyes and pushed her elbow into Nicks' side. They were invited to a little party for her godchild, but Judy had absolutely no idea what she should get as a present. As they entered the bullpen for their morning report from Chief Bogo, most of their colleagues were already there, chatting along. Judy and Nick shared a big seat together and Judy began:

"It's really difficult to find a present for such a young mouse, especially her grandfather is fending for her." She didn't want to name Mister Big's family name while in the precinct.

"Yeah, that's probably right. We can't even bake something for them, at least I have no idea how to make such small cakes." Nick considered the idea only for a short moment.

"Maybe…" Judy was interrupted by the turn up of the cape buffalo.

"Morning. Beside our routine schedule we have a support request by the special operations group. Depending on the required Skillset I have choose four. The officers I'm naming in the following are expected in conference room three: Grizzoli, Hopps, Wolford and Wilde. Team lead is Marki, you are reporting directly to him."

The four mentioned were getting off their seats and left the room, while Bogo scheduled the others to their patrol routes. Grizzoli, an athletic polar bear, went ahead and lead the small group to the named conference room. Detective Marki, a dire wolf with an ash grey fur, was already waiting for them together with a few other officers studying plans and photographs distributed on a big table.

"Ah, there you are!" Marki greeted them and gestured towards the remaining empty seats. "Okay, we are now complete, so let's begin!" He switched off the light and a video projector was showing the ZPD logo on a screen. It changed to a photo of an old depot when Marki pressed a button on his remote. "Yesterday, the ZPD taskforce against international crime stormed after several weeks of investigations this abandoned depot in the Meadowlands. It was used as a hide-out by a smuggler gang, led by Vlad Below." The screen now showed the photo of a pit bull terrier with brown fur and a hideous scar across his left face. Some of the colleagues in the room nodded recognizing. "Four gang members were shot during a gunfight, but we could arrest someone, identified as Petre Varujan by now." The screen showed the photo of a weasel with bandages on his shoulder and chest. "He is wounded and guarded in Tundratown's local hospital as it was the nearest. There are a few records in his file, most of them for burglary. Petre is a talented break-in expert, having no problems with any type of lock or alarm system. Hopps, Wilde: You two are going to interrogate him. We need more information regarding the next coup Vlad had planned. Creep into his head!"

"Yes, sir!" Judy and Nick spoke as once. The screen changed and was now showing a few photos in series of maps, floor plans, masks and weaponry. Marki continued:

"We also found enough equipment for an attack. Copies of the maps and plans are laying in front of you. The floor plans could be identified as those of the Zootopian Central Bank. It looks as if they were planning a bank hold-up. The taskforce doesn't think, that they are after the money inside the bank. This particular branch of the bank is rather small and usually has low money in reserve. There would be better targets for them." The screen changed to a photo inside the bank, showing a vault with dozens of safe deposit boxes. "It is rather believed, that they have it in for the safe deposit boxes. It's also a better fit in Vlad's profile." The screen changed to a map of the Meadowlands. "As Vlad Below couldn't be determined, he is still on the run. Wolford, Grizzoli: You are each leading a strike force, scouring for Below in the Meadowlands. We have all transitions to Tundratown and Sahara Square secured and under tightened observation and believe he is still hiding somewhere near his old hide-out. A helicopter is waiting for you two to bring you directly to your teams already on standby."

"Yes, sir!" The polar bear and the wolf answered promptly.

"The rest of us is working on those other maps and floor plans and try to get more information to work with for you all. Any questions?" the dire wolf looked around the room, then when no one was going to ask something he switched on the light and the video projector off. "Everyone reporting to me at 13 o'clock. Dismissed!"

All police officers get up their seats, some of them staying in the room and discussing the plans, Wolford, Grizzoli, Nick and Judy left the room. While the first two turned to the left hallway to get to the roof top, Judy guided Nick to the car pool to get a police rover.

"Why do you think they picked us?" Nick was sitting on the passenger seat – as always – and Judy was just closing her door.

"You heard Marki, we should ' _creep into his head_ ', that is create a psychological profile. Vlad's gang is usually smuggling, so they are not engaging a break-in expert to get into some safe deposit boxes without cause. We need to make him talk about more details, like when they wanted to do the bank hold-up or for what they are zeroing in."

"Yeah, I know all this, too, carrots." Nick smiled with a wink. "But that only explains your presence as you are taking courses. And it also seems as if you are Marki's protégé. But I am betwixt and between."

"Don't understate your talent, Officer Wilde." Judy laughed and navigated through the streets. "You are a great interrogator. Also you are my partner, who else should support me otherwise?"

"Ah, okay. You being a bitchy little bunny might have to do with it… ouch!" Nick snickered while he was rubbing his arm where Judy beat him.

"Or maybe no one is willing to work with a smartass like you beside me." Judy countered and Nick smiled.

"You like me being a smartass, just admit it."

"In your dreams!" she grinned slyly.

* * *

It took them half an hour to arrive at the Tundratown City Hospital.

"What is your approach, carrots?" Nick looked to Judy after they asked at the reception where they could find Varujan. They were standing in a waiting room near the sickroom and took a last look in Petre's dossier.

"He always tried to negotiate a deal the last times he was arrested." Judy pointed to some notes. "But he was on his own back then; shopping someone like Vlad to us is another caliber. We should try to ease and assure him, that we can protect him."

Nick nodded slowly. "That may work. Do you want to lead the interrogation?"

"No, I think you should do it; then I can fully concentrate on his heartbeat to give you hints if you are on the right path."

"Alright, then let's go."

They showed their badges to the officer guarding the room, then entered slowly. The weasel was the only patient in the room, the other two beds were left empty. Petre's right arm was secured to the bed with handcuffs. He had an intravenous drip and his chest and left shoulder was bandaged. When the two entered the room, the weasel rolled his eyes.

"Even more pigs just for me? Hell, I'm not Al Capawne!" his dirty laugh was receipted by a quick twitching of Judy's ears. She walked over to his right side while Nick stayed on the other side. So he could talk with Petre and simultaneously have a look at Judy.

"Don't be so modest, Mister Varujan." Nick spoke to him and his voice was really calm. "You are, as far as I heard, an expert on your field of activity. One of the best, when not even the best safe-cracker in Zootopia!"

"Ha! _Mister Varujan_! You're really funny." The weasel answered and Judy nodded a bit.

"I'm not funny, but impressed. The manufacturer makes it harder each year to crack into their products every year, but it always seems as if you know their safes even better than they do. That is a real talent."

"You bet it is!" Petre was very satisfied with himself at the moment, exactly what Nick had planned.

"How comes that a clever boy like you is arrested with such scumbags like Vlad's gang?"

"They pay really well, you know." The weasel winked slyly.

"Do they pay enough, that you are going to jail for them?"

"What do you mean, fox?"

"We talked half an hour ago with your friend … what was his name, Hopps?" Nick looked to Judy as if he was expecting an answer, then waved away the thought with an impatient gesture. "Never mind, I'm speaking of this African wild dog… he said that _you_ have hired Vlad and his men to help _you_ with this bank job at the Central." Nick signify a laugh, but immediately was serious again.

"What?!" Petre was gazing to Nick, then nearly shouted. "I have hired Brock and those other idiots? They are totally nuts!"

Nick picked up the name immediately. "At least we could offer Brock a deal if he will give testimony against you. He even gave us the address of the hide-out where Vlad is currently hiding. So when he is even ratting on his boss, why should we disbelieve him on you hiring them?"

"That's a lie! They came to me; I should open those three safe deposit boxes for them! I should get 250 thousand Zollars after the job! Not vice versa!"

"But why should we believe you and not him? At least he gave us some information to work with." Nick made a thoughtful face and raised his eyebrows. "Hm, but if you could confirm the address of Vlad, independently of Brock, we could offer you the same deal as him, you know?"

Judy was already shaking her head slightly when the weasel answered: "I have no idea where this mangy pooch Is hiding."

"You give me rather too little to work with you, Mister Varujan." Nick made a sad face, as if he would really like to help this poor bastard. Judy was consistently impressed by his talent.

"This isn't my problem, fox!" Petre's snorted but Nick shook his head, still sad.

"I think it is. As evidence is currently to us, we have two dead accomplices, one being remorseful, and one – that is you, my friend – being the big boss, going to jail for a very long time. I really would consider this your problem…" Nick shrugged and indicated to turn around and leave the room.

Petre Varujan laughed again, seeming very gleeful. "You still don't have the constituent, do you?"

"The constituent? One beside you? Or beside Vlad, if I may believe your testimony."

"Oh yeah!" Petre snickered. "He's an insider, but if you want to know his name I want a guarantee of the public prosecutor's office for an exemption from punishment! And witness protection!"

* * *

They couldn't get any more useful information from the weasel and after a while Judy and Nick drove back to the precinct.

"At least we have the name of one of the dead bodies. What a bummer that he cannot reveal Vlads hide-out as you pretended. Nice idea, by the way." Judy smiled to Nick.

"Don't forget the insider Petre has mentioned. If he really exists, it must be one of the clerks working in the bank. It would also explain, why a gang of smugglers is hired for a bank hold-up."

"Right, if you plan to open and steal the content of the most valuable safe depot boxes, you need someone to sell the stolen goods, too. But why a safe cracker? If they have an insider in the bank, he can open those boxes for them, couldn't he?"

Nick shook his head slowly. "It's not so easy, carrots. I could take a look at those locks during the meeting this morning. Those safe deposit boxes are flameproof GSA Class 6 containers. They are military norm and secured with a two-way security-key. Even our friend Petre Varujan would need heavy machinery and quite a few hours of time to get into this baby. But if they have one part of the key from the bank to deactivate some additional security mechanisms, and have also an insider who knows which safe deposit boxes are worth the work, you can crack those containers within half an hour. Providing that you are able to deactivate the alarm code of the heat and shock sensors in the vault."

Judy was impressed by Nicks detailed knowledge of those security systems, but also somewhat skeptical. "Is there something about your past I don't know about, yet?"

Nick laughed and shook slowly his head. "There is quite a lot you don't know about me, carrots, but I'm not some kind of Hudson Hawk." He winked. "You learn about security systems in computer forensics. And this beauty used by the bank evoked a few of those details from the lessons."

Judy parked the rover on the parking lot and they entered the precinct quickly because of a drizzling rain coming down now. They went to the second floor, to their own double cubicle work-space.

"Okay, do you want to take a look at all clerks working in that specific branch of the Central Bank? Maybe someone is sticking out. I'm writing the interrogation report in the while. We need it to get those documents from the public prosecutor's office." Nick offered and logged on at his PC."

"You are voluntary doing the paper work?" Judy's nose was twitching.

"Just wanted to do a favor for you, but if you insist…" Nick leaned back and gestured to his keyboard. Judy smiled and waved aside.

"It's okay, I'm not complaining!" she laughed. "I will do the background-checks for the employees then."

* * *

Nick spoke with Marki and got his okay for Petre's exemption from punishment. "We want Vlad and this Insider, Petre is just a small fish." The subsequent paperwork to prepare everything for the senior prosecutor to sign was some bureaucratic hell, but Judy helped him with some forms and finally all documents were ready and signed. They would go back to the hospital to complete the deal with the weasel, but first they had to go to the meeting with the rest of the team. It was quarter to one already, and Nick's stomach was rumoring. Of course Judy heard it, but she only flashed him with a glance, saying with her look: ' _I know you are hungry, but I cannot change it right now. So don't jangle my nerves with your pleading looks._ ' Nick sighed and they walked to the conference room.

They arrived together with Grizzoli and Wolford, both in SWAT outfit, looking tired. One harrumph of Marki and everyone was quiet at once, looking to the front.

"Okay, we've got some news. At first we could identify two of the gang members that were shot. One is Marthy Davich, and the other one Brock Haxall, both Alsatian dogs, former military sergeants. Regarding Vlad Below, Wolford report."

"We scanned most of the north area of the Meadowlands, but it's a deep and thick forest. Until now not a hint for Below." Wolford reported quickly, Marki nodded and said: "Grizzoli?"

"My team is currently following some leads that Vlad Below is trying to slap through to the Rainforest district. I ordered an additional team there to secure the passages. Also we had contact with informants, saying that Vlad is trying to get another team to still complete his job. After everything we heard he might me not the boss, but he should be paid for this bank job."

"That is the same information, we got in the meantime, too. Hopps?"

"We interrogated Petre Varujan. He could not give us information about Vlad, but he gave us the name of the second dead suspect, Brock Haxall. Also we got the information, that Vlad and his gang is paid for this bank hold-up and that the constituent is an insider within the bank." She took the remote from Marki and a photo of the safe deposit boxes inside the bank vault became visible on the screen. "Nick, would you continue with the details?"

"Sure thing. Those safe deposit boxes are flameproof GSA Class 6 containers; military norm and secured with a two-way security-key." The screen changed and showed now a detail photo of the electronic lock. "If you have the bank key to deactivate the additional security mechanisms, you still need some heavy machinery to open this. But instead of hours you can overcome the last two layers with the right tools in maybe five to ten minutes." The screen switched to another view of the vault, showing several sensors and light barriers. "The really tricky part is that you are in need of someone who knows which safe deposit boxes are worth the work. There are no recordings from the bank, but I checked their security system and found some unusual access to the security cameras. Normally they are automatically switched off the moment a safe deposit box is opened and switch back on when all containers are closed again. But someone has activated the camera system manually and could spy what containers are worth a break-in. But there is a last security mechanisms left: Even when someone is in the vault, the heat and shock sensors are still online, just much less sensitive. They don't alarm during someone working in there normally, but bringing heavy machinery like a plasma cutting machine or some heavy drills, they would still make a silent alarm. Their insider seems to know all this, and he also hacked those security cameras. As this is only possible from inside the building, our insider is still working inside this branch of the Central Bank."

"Very good work, Wilde and Hopps. Our technical forensic team could identify in the meantime the other plans we wound in the storage. They are confirming our theory of a master mind inside the bank. We also suspect, that he didn't want to make an appearance as an accomplice. He provides all necessary information, shuts off the alarm system during the bank hold-up as if he was forced to do so, and the next day he can walk back into work as if nothing happens." Marki switched off the video projector again and turned to Judy and Nick.

"You two are going back to the hospital and give Petre Varujan those documents he requested. Even when he is now not arrested for this crime, he isn't our main target. We will get him due to another crime, I'm sure. But now we need the name of the insider!"

Judy and Nick nodded, "Yes, sir!"

"All others are concentrating on Vlad Below! Wolford, take Tac-Team four as support and ask the rangers office, if they can assist …." Marki was giving more orders to all others, but Nick and Judy were already too far away. They walked back to the car and drove off to the hospital in Tundratown.

"I am really impressed, Nick." Judy smiled at him. "You did a really good presentation earlier, including some slides for the screen. That made it really demonstrative, you know?" Nick could hear that Judy was somewhat proud of him. And her being happy made him even happier.

"Just a few photos I added in Sway, suitable to what I tried to explain."

"It worked!"

"Yep, another small star in our personal files." Nick winked at Judy, then he made a thoughtful face. "Dou you think it's too early to apply for the Detective Tests?"

Judy raised surprised her eyebrows. "I didn't even know, that you are thinking about it. Don't get me wrong, Nick, but you don't seem like a careerist to me."

Nick smiled softly. "I'm not. That is, until I met you."

"Me?"

"All those extra courses in profiling, forensics, and so on… I would bet that you are reaching for another star on your uniform, aren't you, carrots?" he winked.

"I just love to learn new things! But yes, I want to get my Detective badge someday."

"See, and when you got it I better got it, too. Or we have both to search for another partner."

Judy considered this for a moment than sighed. "You are right. It was selfish from me to always be on the go for more."

"Hey, never mind! I'm totally willing to keep up with you."

"Are you?" Judy grinned. "Well, you can try at least." She winked.

"Either this, or I have to go for plan B." Nick slyly winked back.

"What plan B?" Judy asked skeptical, but Nick just smiled and stay quiet. "Hey, sly fox. What is plan B?"

"Oh, Plan B stands for… ah, never mind, we are there!" he laughed and avoid being hit by Judy on his arm by getting out of the rover really quick.

"Dumb fox!" Judy muttered, but Nick got behind her, leaned forward and kissed her between her ears. Judy sighed and looked up smiling.

"Lovely bunny." Nick whispered and winked to her. Then both walked to the entrance of the hospital. They didn't have to ask for the way this time and went directly to the sickroom of Pedre. The same officer as a few hours ago was still sitting on a chair in front of the room. Both, Nick and Judy, showed their police badge and opened the door; but freeze immediately on the door sill.

"Who visited the arrested weasel?" Nick asked abruptly the officer, who winced and take a look at his notebook.

"You two were the only visitors today, that is beside the doctors and nurses of course."

Judy hopped in the meantime quickly to the bed, but the blue face and the blood occurring eyes made it clear that they were too late. The rabbit tried to take the pulse, and Nick looked inquiring to her. Then she shook her head. The officer, an older zebra, was now standing in the door frame beside Nick and his face was so pale that his black striped were hardly visible. Judy grabbed her mobile while Nick shoved the zebra out of the room and back on his chair.

"Officer Hopps for Dispatch!" Judy's angry voice was speaking with the mobile, but was clearly heard outside the room.

"Dispatch here."

"We've got a one-eight-seven in the Tundratown Central Hospital, room 0329, Petre Varujan. Over."

"A one-eight-seven in Tundratwon Central Hospital, room 0329. Roger that."

"Also give immediate notice to Detective Marki and send a forensics team. Over."

"Sending a forensic team, Dispatch over and out."

* * *

Judy was supervising the forensic team while Nick had an eye on Officer Leron, the zebra that was guarding the suspect. After a quick interrogation it was obvious, that Officer Leron indeed never left his post, but he didn't pay attention to any nurses or doctors entering the room. Nick met the security chief of the hospital and got all recordings of this day burned on a disc. Marki was out in the Meadowlands, where Wolfords team found an abandoned cabin that was recently being used, presumably by Vlad. Instead of Marki Chief Bogo showed up at the hospital in person. The tongue-lashing he gave Judy after her first arrest over a year ago was a lullaby compared to what Officer Leron was now getting. Nick and Judy couldn't do anything useful at the hospital right now, so they decided to drove back to the precinct.

When Marki, Wolford and Grizzoli returned to the precinct in the evening they looked frustrated. They lost the trace to Vlad in the woods. Nick handed Marki the forensic report of the video disc; they could identify the alleged killer in the hospital: It was a pig in a lab coat and with medical gloves. But he always averted to look in the direction of the cameras. Judy handed Marki another report, this one from forensic medicine: Petre was strangled with his own pillow between two o'clock and three o'clock. The dire wolf threw the reports onto the table, snorting with rage.

"Any good news?" Marki muttered to the rest of the team, but nobody raised his voice. Marki let himself fall onto a chair. "It was a long night and a long day, maybe we should call it a day and continue tomorrow."

Judy raised her paw hesitatingly. "I have an idea, sir…"

* * *

They were laying together on the couch, listening to some quiet country-rock music. Judy tried to encourage Nick and stroked his chest. "Hey… come on, Nick, don't punish me with silence."

The fox sighed and looked to his small and fragile ball of fur with these long ears.

"I don't want to punish you, Judy." Nick using her real name in a serious moment was always giving Judy some heart-pain. "But sometimes you and your ideas are terrifying!"

"It is our best chance to arrest the informant, Nick."

"I don't care about this informant!" he blurted and now the angst in his eyes were clearly visible for Judy. "Did you saw the weapons they found in the hide-out? We don't know when Vlad will have new men and attack the bank, and I bet they will have enough firepower to sieve every mammal in this bank!"

"I'm just going in for a few minutes and check if our suspect is present. The SWAT team will be just around the corner."

"You have nothing more than a psychological profile! At least take a pistol, or a shocker, with you!"

"Someone could get injured, Nick…"

"Yes, you!" Judy sighed again.

"I will go in, identify our suspect, give a sign and then SWAT can take over. It will be over in less than ten minutes, it would be really lucky if Vlad will to rob the bank in exactly this moment."

Nick was sure, he wouldn't change Judy's mind. Trying it beyond this point would only show her that he is not trusting her – but that wasn't the problem. He would entrust her his own life without hesitation anytime. But Nick wasn't part of the SWAT team tomorrow morning, he even wasn't undercover in the bank as support. He had to sit in the technical field van, observing the street and the security system within the bank. His bad luck was his accurate knowledge of the used alarm system.

"Let's don't talk about the case this evening; tonight." He tried to speak calm and gave Judy a kiss.

The rabbit smiled and snuggled against Nicks' chest, leaning her head against his and nibbled on his neck. Nick leant his head a bit to the other side and _offered_ her his neck, caressing with his paw over her tail and shoving his paw under her shirt.

* * *

The morning promised a nice day and Judy met early with Marki near the Zootopia Central Bank. Before entering the bank, she had a look around; the SWAT team was one block away and could intervention in under two minutes, the surveillance van with Nick was parked two blocks away. No not habitual animals were on the streets, so she pushed against the revolving door made of glass. Immediately a breeze of dry conditioned air was blowing through her fur and she twitched her nose. After letting her look wander she picked one of the four opened counters. Their suspect was a badger named Ken Craftie. He had a lot of different jobs in the past, and even after being at the bank for nearly five years he wasn't advanced like all of his colleagues. He lived alone and his finances were a mess, he really needed money to keep his small condominium. He was a learned electrical engineer and had all the abilities that were necessary for the inside-role.

Judy smiled friendly to the clerk, trying to be inconspicuous. Just a small reason why she was here, then she could leave again.

"Hello, Mister …" Judy took a closer look at the nametag of the badger, "Craftie! My name is Judy Hopps, and I want to open a savings account."

The badger smiled slightly and nodded. "Of course, Miss Hopps. Do you want to open it in your own name?"

"It is a gift for my godchild, she will be the beneficiary on her 16th birthday. Until then I want to pay into the account monthly. That's possible, isn't it?"

"Of course, Miss Hopps! Could you please fill out these form papers?" he handed her a standard form to open a new account, then proceeded to enter a few things into his PC. "What is your full name and occupation?"

"My name is Judy Hopps, I'm working for …" Judy was suddenly interrupted by the shouting of five masked mammals that had entered the bank, shooting with automatic weapons into the ceiling.

"Everybody be silent and lay on the floor! …."

* * *

"Anybody else want to have a chat?" the dire wolf bawled and a doe in the corner started to sob quietly. The clerk named Craftie turned around angrily:

"What are you doing here? We agreed for Saturday, not Thursday; and you agreed that nobody would be harmed!"

"Shut up and switch off the alarm, or you're next Ken!" the leader barked and waved around with his gun. The badger walked quickly to the bank manager, a puzzled looking panda.

"Give me the key!" Craftie snubbed and the panda slowly grabbed a small, golden key from his pocket. The badger grabbed it and opened a wooden panel behind the directors' desk. Behind the panel was a control cabinet, secured by a bulletproof glass. He put the key in the lock, opened the glass door and switched off some particular alarm systems. A few lights turned from green to yellow and Craftie gave the dire wolf a thumb up.

Two of the masked animals walked with Craftie and the scared panda to the vault. The bank director opened it with his code, and behind were dozens of safe deposit boxes.

"The keycard!" Ken Craftie yelled to the panda who was looking like a deer in headlights. One masked polar bear beat the panda into his back with his double-barreled gun and the badger searched the pockets of the panda on his own.

"Got it…" he took the key-card and turned to the polar bear. "Who is the electronic expert you talked about?" The second masked mammal, a grey wolf, made a step forward, put his rifle aside and took some electronic devices from his backpack. Craftie gave him the key-card.

"What containers?" the wolf had a rough and low voice, but sounding dangerous nevertheless. The badger took a small note out of his pocket and gave it to him.

"These are the numbers."

"Four boxes? We agreed on three!"

"We agreed on Saturday, too!" Craftie replied with a sly grin.

"We had to accelerate everything, the police pigs were close on our heels. On Saturday I will already be in Jamaica!"

"I don't mind." The badger said and then the polar bear asked:

"How long does it take?"

"Give me 15 minutes…" the wolf replied. The bear and the badger were escorting the panda back to the others in the main hall, where the other two masked mammals were keeping the other visitors and employees at bay.

After nearly twenty minutes the dire wolf barked: "What's taking so long?" But just a moment later the masked wolf came back with a large sports bag in each hand. Both masked polar bears walked to the wolf and took a sports bag each.

"OK, let's go!" the dire wolf barked but in the same moment three ZPD officers in SWAT uniform entered the bank, pointing with their weapons to the masked animals:

"ZPD, everybody weapons down and hands up!"

The dire wolf immediately opened fire but was shot by one of the officers. The two polar bears decided for hand-to-hand-combat, attacking two of the officers. The wolf tried to run to the back-door but another SWAT team was coming from there. A short gun battle later he laid shoot along on the floor. Now even more police officers were entering the bank, securing each of the bank robbers.

After about ten minutes of fast-paced tumble, Nick finally entered the main hall of the bank. All employees were taken to the precinct to get their testimonies, but Ken Craftie escaped. The fox squatted beside the still inanimate body of Judy that laid in a puddle of red blood.

"Blood and dead, again? I start to recognize a pattern, carrots…" he smirked and Judy blinked with a grin on her face.

"Play-acting was always my second carrier choice, you know?" she sat up and looked down on her ruined shirt. "These exploding blood pads have totally ruined this shirt; there are even holes like from real bullets!"

Nick laughed and handed Judy his paw. Then Marki, who had put down his mask, shouted to all present animals.

"Okay, that was a great show, thank you to all ZPD officers for playing visitors. We have escorted all bank employees to the precinct for interrogations. Don't forget that nobody of them knows that everything was only posed by us. Surveillance is tracing our suspect Ken Craftie, the tracking device we put in his pockets is working. We will keep him under surveillance to see if he has any partners. De-briefing at 11 o'clock. Dismissed!"

* * *

During the de-briefing it was revealed, that the target safe deposit boxes were leased by letterbox companies and contained gold coins and federal savings bond, both untraceable and worth over one and a half million zollars. The interrogations of the bank employees provided no new intelligence and all of them were set free in the meanwhile.

It was nearly six in the afternoon; Marki, Nick and Judy were sitting in the surveillance van with another technician. A small strike force, led by Wolford, was observing Ken Craftie for the last ten hours. They followed him to the Meadowlands and he was now waiting quite a while for someone at the abandoned storehouse.

"Surveillance for Tac-Team Alpha, a black limousine is approaching your site." Marki said in his radio, and the whispered voice of Wolford replied with a short ' _Roger_ '. His team justified a directional microphone and camera, and the technician in the van adjusted video and audio for a good recording. The black limousine came to a halt beside the nervous badger, and out of it got a panda.

"Zoom in!" Judy directed the technician and then said with a smirk. "Of course, the bank director."

"Are you crazy?" the panda was yelling at the badger. "We agreed that no one will get hurt, and your friends are killing a cop?"

Craftie snapped: "This wasn't planned! I am as shocked as you are!"

"But you were not supposed to get his money and back to work the next day! Your pile of idiots is all arrested or dead, and we won't see any dime after all!"

Marki smiled pleased. "Do we have everything on record?" The technician nodded and Marki took his radio again. "Surveillance for Tac-Team Alpha, green light for raid."

Wolford answered at once: "Roger, green light for raid. Team Alpha: Go!"

On the screen Judy, Nick and Marki witnessed how their tactical team surrounded the two suspects and finally arrested them; then all three went off the van and walked over to their team.

"Good work, team alpha!" Marki exclaimed. Both, Craftie and the bank director, looked puzzled to Judy.

"Surprised to be arrested by a shot rabbit?" she winked and Nick put his arm around her shoulders.

"It's called a hustle." He added and snickered.


	14. 2x03 - Hot & Cold

_I quickly laugh at everything for fear of having to cry." Pierre Auguste Caron de Beaumarchais_

* * *

Nick was sneaking through the high grass. Everywhere were rocks or trees scattered around the wavy landscape. He could smell her scent; smell how she ran along this path only a short while ago. There was no chance to outrun her on a pursuit, but this was all about stalking the little, dumb rabbit. The fox paused a moment and hold his nose in a few different directions. A short breeze brought her whiff back. It was really intense now; she must be hiding behind one of those large rocks right ahead of him. Nick smacked his lips, in his eyes a greedy flash and his tail pressed narrow to the ground. Slowly he approached the nearest rock, the fresh scent of this sneaky rabbit was really strong now. Nick gird himself for the fight, tensed his hind legs and out of a sudden he jumped forward over the rock and… nothing.

Plop, plop – Nick grimaced as he was hit in his back twice. He turned around and another paintball hit his chest.

"You are dead, fox-trot." Judy exclaimed from her hide-out in a near crown of a cherry tree. Nick look frustrated and lowered his gun.

"This is the fourth time in a row. You are cheating!" The fox exclaimed while Judy coolly hoped to a few lower branches and finally to the ground.

"How could you possibly cheat in paintball, Nick?" she beamed with joy.

"I have no idea, but it's rather anomalous when a predator is losing four times in a row against a little prey!"

"Anomalous, but not impossible. As I have proved today. Four times." She grinned like a Cheshire cat and Nick sighed. Then he turned around to the big rock and sniffed carefully. Then he suddenly turned around to Judy with big eyes.

"You scented this rock!" he sounded surprised.

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart." Judy winked and put her paws on her hips. "Knowing your enemy and how to turn his strength into your advantages is crucial when hunting."

Out of a sudden Nick made a quick jump in Judy's direction, pulling her to the ground with his paws pinning down her arms. Judy was caught by surprise and squeaked, but Nick now lay with his full weight on her and she couldn't move a millimeter. Nick snarled at her and his nose came close to hers. Judy's nose twitched a little but before she could say anything Nick's snout darted forward to her neck; he bit her lightly, followed by a perfervid kiss and Judy moaned softly.

"You knew exactly that your smell is going to make me insane when you're in heat!" he grunted, passionately kissing and rubbing his snout in her fur while still pinning her to the ground.

"Did I knew that?" Judy asked playfully, "Yes. Yes, I kn…uuuuhhh!" her self-answer perished into a sustained groan, rolling her eyes, when Nick licked with his tongue inside her sensitive ears. He didn't only want to smell her, he wanted to taste her, devour her right here and now. While still tasting her ears, his paws swept over Judy's arms and shoulders, grabbing her paintball corselet and tore it off. His other paw was already stroking under her sweatshirt, his claws scratching carefully but also avariciously through her fur. Judy gasped for air and the blood was swooshing through her trembling body like a lava flow. She tried to brace herself, but feeling Nicks snout on her collarbone, pulling her shirt aside with his teeth and stroking her chest with his paw finally defeated her will power and the little rabbit indulged in his touches with relish.

* * *

The kudu behind the counter took the paintball guns back without paying closer attention to Judy and Nick as they were leaving the big park. It was their free weekend at home and it was only half past nine on a promising Saturday morning in October. Both' fur looked disheveled and a few blurs of paint were on their face and ears. Judy was still precariously and clamping with both paws on Nicks arm; her exhausted but happy face hosted a big smile and Nick tried to walk as nonchalantly as possible, being exhausted himself. They called a Zuber and sit down on a wooden bench near the entrance. Judy sat herself immediately on Nicks lap and snuggled into his arms. Nick smiled and put his fluffy tail around her.

"Are you cold, carrots? You're trembling…" Nick put his snout on her head between her ears, taking a long and deep breath through his nose. Her scent raised his hackles again and he put his arms tightly around her.

"Being cold is the very reverse of what I am right now, sly fox." Judy rubbed her chin over Nicks neck, scent-marking him again and immediately hearing his accelerated heartbeat in response. She nibbled on his neck with her small teeth without doing any harm, but Nick closed his eyes and growled quietly.

"If you don't stop right now, we will be arrested for indecent behavior." Nick whispered with oppressed arousal. "You're really edacious, you know that?"

Judy snickered covertly and just leaned with her head against Nick's shoulder. In the past when she was in heat, she worked herself into the ground with sports, but it was never that severe at all. But since she was together with Nick, it seems as if a dam broke down: Every time she was in heat now meant that she could hardly concentrate in Nick's adjacency. It was particularly a problem at work, where they were close to each other the whole day. After the first wickedly heat cycle during her shift she nearly fainted; oppressing everything her body wanted so bad during a whole day was so stressful that Nick reported her sick from some bad food in the afternoon and brought her to Doctor Alisson. The older rabbit was very empathic and sympathetic, admitting that she was impressed that Judy hold out the whole day on her own. Now Judy was getting an injection a few days before her next heat cycle, that reduced the bodily impact enough to withstand the work days with Nick, but it was still some power of volition necessary. ' _It will get better after you had your first litter._ ' Doctor Alisson said, but she wasn't ready yet. It wasn't her love to Nick – or his love for her – that worried her, but she was afraid of her career. She really wanted to get her detective badge and was working hard for it, and Nick was all supportive. As getting pregnant between a fox and a rabbit wasn't impossible but difficult, they would have in all likelihood to resort to in vitro fertilization; on the pro side this meant they hadn't to worry about contraception every time. And even when the subject was distressing for her, she admitted to her sister Evelin once that she loved having sex with her fox – even if she had no comparison to any rabbits at all. Eve wanted to hear all kind of details regarding those interspecies intercourse, much to Judy's discomfort. But after all she was the only one Judy could tell everything, her personal living diary.

The arrival of their Zuber taxi brought her thoughts back to the present. She wanted to get up, but Nick just carried her in his arms with a soft smile. He let her down on her feet when he was beside the car, so she could hop into it. The fox entered the car right behind her and give the driver their home address. The driver, an older pig, looked in the rear mirror with disapproval but didn't said a word and drove off. Nick sighed; he tried hard so that Judy did not notice every time their flaunt relationship did detest someone. His look rested on Judy, who leant against him, smiling and her eyes dreamily looking outside the window. She was worth any trouble and by far the best thing that happened to him. As long as she would stick by him, everyone else could think of him what they want. And it was Judy he loved; not the fact she was a rabbit or prey, but her being just this lively animal, full of _joie de vivre_. He tickled her with his tail under her chin and Judy giggled.

"You have some paint on your face, carrots." He grinned at her. Judy rubbed her face with her paw surly, then turned her head a bit and looked at Nick.

"And yours is like a freaking canvas, dumb fox." She snickered with her paws before her mouth. Nick tried to look serious, but Judy's chubby cheeks and her cute giggling with those big purple eyes made him smile. "What are you smiling at?" she asked curious.

"Just the most beautiful thing I ever saw…" he answered, and at the moment Judy wanted to ' _Aww_ ' he added: "…my mirror image in your eyes is looking gorgeous!" His soft smile turned into something slyer and Judy blinked indignant, wrinkling her nose.

"You really know how to talk with a lady!"

"If you can show me one?"

Judy poked her tongue out at Nick but grinned. "You can render useful when we are at home and help me clean-up, pretty boy."

"Nothing better than that, my cute bunny." Nick bend his head forward and gave her a quick kiss and the driver grunted quietly; but not quietly enough for Judy's sensitive ears. She turned her head around and asked with a determined voice.

"Excuse me, did you say something?"

Nick grimaced a bit, he didn't want an awkward discussion with this pig about their relationship. And even more he didn't want this great Saturday to be ruined by some intolerant mammal. But the pig just gave her a snide look in the mirror and grunted ' _Nothing_ ' at her. Judy wanted to reply something, but Nick put his paw gently on her arm and shook his head slightly when she looked up at him. They arrived at their apartment building a few minutes later, and Judy paid the driver without giving a penny as a tip, also leaving a negative feedback on his Zuber profile. Nick walked beside her to the entrance door with his paws in his pockets. It was frustrating sometimes, all those begrudging looks and the whispering behind their backs. Interspecies couples were quite common in Zootopia by now. But relationships between a predator and a prey, especially in combinations like sheep and wolf or rabbit and fox, were still unusual. Nick was cautious in the public the first few weeks; not because he was embarrassed but to make sure Judy would not be mistreated when they were seen together. But Judy being Judy meant also giving 110% about everything, including their relationship. And it didn't mind her if there were strange looks or not. Nick was less sensitive about it gradually, but sometimes it was just too garish for him to ignore it. It made him sad, but sometimes he really thought Judy deserved something better than him. But every time she realized he had such an episode of depression she looked at him with this big, gorgeous and inquiring eyes and he smiled every time at her. He knew she would go through everything for him – and he would do the same for her, of course – but a quietly lurking doubt was still there. Or was there another reason he still hadn't asked her to marry him? She hinted at him from time to time the subject a few months ago, but by now she didn't seem too enthusiastic about it; or at least didn't mention it.

They walked up the stairs, Nick silently lagging his own dismal thoughts while Judy was ranting about their Zuber driver. When they reached the third floor she stopped suddenly; Nick didn't even notice at once and just trudged ahead. Judy hopped afterwards him and put a paw on his arm, saying his name for the umpteenth time. Nick stopped, looking into Judy's first irritated, then worried face when she saw his abstractedly look. He smiled and wanted to say some excuse, but Judy got the drop on.

"Don't you dare to say something like ' _Everything's okay, fluff._ '!" She scowled at him and Nick winced; this was _exactly_ what he wanted to say. His eyes grow wide and he let his shoulders sank. It was just impossible to delude her and he sighed. Judy turned around and tapped on the elevator call-button. Nick tried again to say something, but Judy put her paw on his lips and pulled him into the cabin. She pressed the button for the fifths floor, but immediately when the door closed she pushed the stop-button and the elevator came to an abrupt halt.

"Nick… what's the matter?" She asked, and when he didn't reply she added: "Please talk to me, Nick. You seem to be absent with your mind more often for a while now. I hoped you would tell me what's on your mind on your own, but since you didn't I'm really worried by now. Did I do something wrong?"

' _That is typical Judy._ ' Nick thought with a soft smile. His cute little rabbit always tried to fix everything and everyone.

"Judy…" he began and the rabbit immediately twitched her nose when he mentioned her name. "…you really did nothing wrong, I promise." Judy seemed to be a little relieved, but still waited for him to further explain himself. When he didn't say anything more, she asked:

"But? What is it, Nick?" Her paw slowly stroked his arm. "Please…"

"This Zuber driver…"

"He is an idiot." Judy stated determined. "Since when does it bother you what others are thinking?" she smiled with a short wink.

"I don't care what others are thinking about _me_ , Judy." Nick accentuated the word ' _me_ ' in a way that made her ears twitch.

"But it bothers you, what they are talking or thinking about _me_?" she asked tenacious. When Nick nodded slowly and sighed again, Judy shook her head. "I don't care a pap for it what others but you are thinking."

"I think it's hard for you because of me. Without me you would not have to bear all those snarky comments."

"Without you?" Judy raised her eyebrows. This depressive side of Nick was new to her. She loved him and would bear everything for him, didn't she made this clear? Why was Nick so insecure by now? Or… didn't he love her anymore? The latest thought made her heart aching and her ears sank. "Do you…?" she couldn't speak it out loud, but Nick squatted and looked in her eyes.

"I love you, Judy. I love you so much that I cannot vocalize it. And it's hurting to see others convict you just because I am who I am." Nick really looked as if it was physically hurting him and Judy rolled her eyes. She made a step in his direction and put her arms around his neck.

"You dumb fox." She smiled and rubbed her chin on the top of his snout. Nick winced, her smell directly by his nose was hitting him like a baseball bat, but Judy didn't stop and tickled his neck with her paws. "For all I care I would sit out even the apocalypse as long as you are at my side." She nibbled on his neck and Nick closed his eyes, hardly able to speak and trembling under her touches.

Nick breathed heavily, fumbling for the stop-button of the elevator. When he finally reached it and the elevator started to move again, he grappled her with both arms, lifting her from her feet while straighten up again. Judy snickered and fondled with her paws under his shirt. The elevator stopped at their floor, Nick stumbled backwards and carried her to the left, to their front-door. At their door he pushed Judy hard against it, breathing heavily. She was really driving him crazy and he was on the verge of tupping her right here and now. Judy knew exactly what she was doing and snickered again, rubbing her chin along his neck. Nick had almost put his key into the lock, but dropped it now. His paws grasped Judy's rear; his snout was searching for her lips, kissing her passionately and pressing her against the still closed door. When he put his paw under her waistband, stroke over her fur and grabbed her tail, Judy gave a loud groan; she stimulated him and overdraw it. Nick was starting to undress her, despise being still in the hall. But she was also too aroused by now to stop him and hurried to unbutton his shirt. When her jeans dropped to the floor he rubbed his whole body against her and she whimpered quietly. But a little corner of her mind was still reminding her that they had to go inside, _now_!

"N-N-Nick…" she whispered out of breath and her whole body was struggling against the interruption. Nick was trying to buck up and braced his arms against the door frame. Judy let him go and slide along his body to the floor – which caused another whimper from Nick. She took her pants and his keys, opening the door with the latter. They didn't make it past the hall, Nick grabbing her with his paws, lifting her up and slamming her back against the other side of the door.

* * *

Nick laid on the parquet floor on his back, still short of breath. Judy was laying on top of him, her paws and her face buried into his chest fur; being equally short of breath. Their clothes were scattered on the floor, on the dresser and the hallstand. Their fur was dull and soaked with sweat, and Nick was gently kissing her ears while tickling over her back. When he stroked over her shoulders, he felt something strange and straighten up his head to take a look; there were some bite marks with a bit of dried blood around them.

"Oh my god, Judy!" his voice was alerted and a bit of shock was in his eyes.

"What?" she breathed dreamy.

"I must have bitten you, there is even some blood!" There was some agony in his voice and he tried to leap up. But Judy hold him down, rubbing her face on his chest still smiling.

"I don't care; it didn't even hurt. Just relax, Nick."

"But…"

"Shhh…" Judy had no interest of disturbing this moment. Actually she was so high on endorphins right now, she felt as being on drugs. It didn't happen very often that they had a free day while she was in heat, so she couldn't savor it most of the time; today being a welcomed exception. Her heartbeat was settling down and it gave her a warm shiver when she noticed how it synchronized with Nicks.

They laid there for another quarter of an hour, when Nick straighten up, holding her tight in his arms.

"No more snugglebunnies?" Judy sounded a bit tired.

"I thought of taking a hot shower and a late breakfast on the balcony with you." Nick whispered in her ears, holding her bridal style in his arms. The rabbit grinned and put her arms around Nicks neck.

"Sounds great; both of it." She smiled and gave him a nice little kiss.

Nick carried her to the big bathroom, sitting his cute bunny on the edge of the bathtub and opened the faucet of the shower. As it was originally designed for big mammals like polar bears or hippos, the shower was actually big enough for both of them standing comfortable in it, without even touching each other. But this didn't mean they _had_ to. When the water was nice and hot, Nick hold the door open for Judy to enter the shower cubicle and entered right behind her. It was a good deed when the steamy water run through their fur. Judy propped against the glass wall, her head leaned forward, letting the water rinse over her head and back. Nick washed himself rather quickly, but instead of leaving the shower early, he started to massage Judy's shoulders under the hot water. A quiet moaning left Judy's lips when he started to knead her neck and shoulders, arching her back and slackened off.

"Oh, Nick… this is feeling really good!" she said with a low voice and Nick smiled.

"I know exactly how to satisfy my bunny." He whispered in her ear and his paws knead along her spine.

"You surely do!" Judy sounded perfectly satisfied and her whole musculature was starting to relax. She did not even know how tense she was after this morning until Nick started to massage her; the hot water was doing the rest. Even while showering Nick could smell Judy's distinct scent, but it was not as acute as before. He put his snout on her shoulder, caressing with his paws over her hips, and whispering endearingly.

"Did I tell you how much I love you?" He kissed her softly on her cheek, the water still running over their heads.

"Not in the past five minutes." Judy giggled, but Nick replied with a serious voice.

"I don't deserve you, Judy Hopps. But whatever it is that makes you stay with me, I will try to do it furthermore until the end of time." Nick was now standing directly behind her, his arms entwined around her body and leaning his head against hers.

"Nick?" Judy turned her head a bit to the side to look him in his green eyes and she laid her paws above his.

"Mh?"

"You shall never again doubt that I want to stay with you, whatever happens." She paused a moment, then continued: "I know, that you were desperately disappointed in the past; but I will do my best that this will never happen with me. And you know how much effort I give when trying ' _my best_ '." Even while the running water was blocking a lot of sounds from Judy's ears, she realized Nicks relief. In the past few months he revealed a lot of little secrets from his past to her, divulging quite a lot of himself. And she already suspected that this was disturbing for him. Telling someone a secret or opening up for someone was like giving him a loaded gun and hoping he will not use it to hurt you.

"Thank you, carrots. I'm really a dumb fox." He smiled and kissed her softly on her cheek. Judy giggled.

"Yes, you are. And you promised me a second breakfast!"

Nick smiled benignly and tickled her stomach. "I better hurry up then!" he gave her a last kiss on her cheek, then released his grip, opened the shower door and stepped out of it. Judy switched off the water, but stayed in the shower, leaning with her back to the wall, admiring the prospect of Nick scrubbing himself dry enough to stand beside their fur dryer. When he noticed her looks he played the coy one, folding his arms over his chest and his tail around his hip. Judy laughed and Nick creeped to the wall hanger where their bathrobes were hanging, huddle inside his own. While he fastens his waistbelt with a knot, Judy left the shower, too, and wrapped herself into a big towel.

While Judy was sitting on the balcony and enjoying the maturing sun of the autumn, Nick was standing in the kitchen and making some pancakes. He practiced a lot together with Evelin every second weekend they were visiting Judy's family. At first all he could do in the kitchen was heating up some convenience food or turning fresh ingredients into carbon. But he really disliked the fact that Judy and most of her sisters were great chefs and he wasn't able to take turns to cook for her, too. So Evelin, Fiona and Bonnie Hopps gave their best to teach him a few simple recipes. And by now his pancakes were really not bad at all; but they were really great together with the self-made marmalade from Bonnie. Nick finished the last pancake and put them all with a plate on a dinner plate. He also put a small basin with blueberry and carrot marmalade on the plate and a can with herbal tea together with two cups. When he carried the dinner plate outside, Judy turned her head around and smiled.

"That took a small eternity!" Judy protested with a wink, but Nick just smiled.

"Haste makes waste. In addition, you should not enwrap yourself in that towel; thus your fur will never dry in the sun." He set the dinner plate on a nearby table. "Close your eyes, carrots."

"What's your game, sly fox?"

"You will never find out if you won't close your eyes." He folded his arms and looked down to her.

"Okay, okay…" Judy closed a bit hesitating her eyes and her ears twitched with every sound that Nick made. He took one of the fresh pancakes, put a bit of blueberry and a bit of carrot marmalade on it and rolled it together. When he passed it near her mouth, he directed her:

"Now open your mouth…"

"Nick…" Judy said impatiently, but the fox stayed incompliant.

"Do me the favor, carrots." He smiled and with a short sigh she opened her mouth. Nick put a piece of the pancake into it and Judy took a bite.

"Well?" he looked hopefully to Judy who chewed on it and finally opened her eyes with a smile.

"Really tasty!" She answered and Nick beamed with pride. "Can I get another bite?"

"Sure, I made enough to satisfy your appetite." He winked and gave her the rest of the pancake. Judy grinned slyly:

"Oh, I didn't mean the pancakes, but they will do for now."

"Naughty bunny!" Nick laughed and took himself a seat on a second chair, taking a pancake for himself. "You are still not satisfied yet?"

"What can I say?" Judy snickered while taking another bite. "You are really inducing my primary instincts."

"You are really insatiably!" Nick raised his arms in pretended despair. "At least grant me a short break to regenerate my energy."

"I accept your request." Judy raised one paw and made a quick gesture with a grin. "Am I not merciful?"

"Really gracious!" Nick adumbrate a bow and winked.

* * *

After a while Nick and Judy went back inside and laid together on the couch; Nick had curled up and Judy was snuggled to him, listening to some music on the radio and just spooning with each other. They both savored their common weekends when they were just relaxing at home and enjoying their shared leisure time. They would go for a walk, meet some friends or would just stay at home together like now. Judy was snoozing and Nick gazed at her smiling, when out of a sudden the doorbell rang. Judy raised her head and stifled a yawn.

"Are you expecting someone, carrots?"

Judy shook her head and the doorbell rang another time. "Maybe a door-to-door retailer, I'm getting rid of him quickly." She straightens up and hopped to the floor, having one of Nicks' shirts on that was reaching to her knees like a wide skirt.

"Don't take too long, I'm starting to get cold without my personal bunny-heater." Nick winked and curled up somewhat more, wearing nothing more than his fur. Judy snickered and quickly hopped to the door. She didn't reach it completely when her ears twitched; there was more than one quiet voice at the door, but she couldn't understand what they were talking. Playing safe, Judy secured the door with the chain before she opened it. They really had to add a lower peephole, the original one was even for Nick almost too high, but it was definitely for Judy.

"Judy!" three rabbits shouted at once through the crack in the door: Evelin and her two litter sisters Mia and Valentina were beaming with joy and flitted through the only slightly open door. Judy was caught by surprise from this unexpected visit, but finally smiled and hugged each of her sisters firmly.

"Eve! Mia! Val! What a great surprise, what are you doing here in Zootopia?" She closed the door behind them and made a gesture to follow her. "Come in, Nick is on the couch. He will be glad to see you!"

Judy took the lead and Evelin put her arm around her. "You are really dressed up for us, mh?" She giggled and twitched at Nick's shirt with the glaring colorful pattern Judy was wearing.

"You have to announce that you are coming for a visit when I should wear something more convenient. Nicks' shirts are not pretty but very comfortable!" Judy winked and both laughed.

"What's so funny, and who was at the …" Nick was standing in front of the couch, apparently searching for his clothes. He froze mid-sentence when he saw the four girls walking into the room. "… door."

All three other rabbits stopped immediately, staring at the unclothed fox, and after a few awkward seconds began to laugh. Nick had quickly his tail looped around his hip, grabbed a pillow and hold it in front of himself.

"Granted, with such a body he can take the liberty of wearing those shirts." Evelin giggled nearly hysterically.

"Did we interrupt you during some … gymnastics?" Valentina snort with laughter and gave Judy a bum flap.

"Hey!" Judy blushed and her ears felt like being aflame, but she still giggled and turned to Nick. "Would you mind to dress up, Nick? My sisters are a little bit giggly today and goodness knows what they are currently thinking."

Nick hurried into the bathroom, carefully holding the pillow in front of himself. Evelin patted Judy on her shoulder. "I didn't know that your fox is such a prude!"

"Birds of a feather flock together." Mia chirped.

"I'm not a prude!" Judy objected but that caused just another laughter from the other bunnies.

"Oh, there is Nick again!" Valentina grinned to the fox who had dressed up in khaki pants and a white polo shirt. "We could ask him!"

"Hi, gals. Ask me what?" he smiled friendly but his sheepish look wasn't all gone yet.

"If Judy is a prude or not?" Mia snickered and Nick got this sly grin that alarmed Judy immediately.

"Our Judy and prude?" He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her protective to his side.

"Nick, woe betide…!" she couldn't finish her warning because Nick had grabbed her by her arms and with a quick movement pulled the oversized shirt over her head, leaving her standing naked and surrounded by her sisters and Nick. Judy was like a deer in headlights for a moment and the other rabbits started to laugh hysterically while Nick was savoring this moment of sweet revenge. But instead of running away she put her arms on her hips, scurried with her feet and looked with outstretched paw to Nick. Her face was all kinds of different emotions: Shock, anger, embarrassment and … Nicks' eyes grew wide when he realized her scent; she was definitely aroused, too. "Very grown-up, Nick." She tried to look bugged, but her nose was twitching and Nick was sure that she tried to hide a grin.

"I would show you some grown-up things, carrots, but we have guests." Nick purred with a wink, trying to provoke Judy a bit more; with success. She bites her lip – Nick would have sworn he saw some regret in her eyes – then hastily grabbed for the shirt Nick was holding in his paw and pulled it on. Mia and Valentina were still laughing but Evelin managed to calm down a bit and giggled quietly.

"After this show I could use something to drink. Come along, take a seat on the couch or the armchairs. Do you want an herbal tea or rather some carrot juice?" Nick was smiling and gestured into the living room, going himself into the kitchen.

"Some carrot juice for me, please!" Mia snickered.

"Me, too." Valentina agreed.

"I will take a tea, thanks Nick. You too, Juju?" Evelin linked arms with Judy and followed their sisters into the living room.

"Yeah, a fresh tea would be great."

"Two times carrot juice and two cups of tea. Coming up!" Nick replied.

* * *

They sat around the coffee table, drinking some tea or juice and eating some cookies.

"So, what's up at home?" Judy asked, leaning against Nicks shoulder with a hot cup of herbal tea in her paws.

"The usual stuff, Mom and Dad are using the last warm days to full capacity on the fields." Mia answered with full mouth, already grabbing for the next cookie.

"Oh, did you already heard that Sam's mate Natalie has bailed on him?" Valentina reported agitated.

"Oh no! Poor Sammy." Judy responded sympathetically. Sam was one of her brothers, being about one year younger than Evelin. "Didn't he planned to propose on her?"

"He did." Mia continued. "And she left him directly afterwards, saying he would be too clingy and overhasty."

"That must have been a nightmare for him." Nick suggested and the girls nodded.

"Yeah, Mom had to force him to eat something after he had not left his bed for four days." Valentina answered.

"How long were they together, just a few months?" Judy was prying to her sisters.

"In two weeks it would have been half a year." Valentina nodded.

Evelin was really quiet by now, but she realized a quick insecure gaze from Nick down to Judy laying in his arms before he raised his head again and Evelin interchanged a short look with him. She turned her head immediately to her sisters again as if nothing happened and grinned. "But Sam was not the only one making a proposal."

"Oh, who else was proposing?" Judy asked curiously. "Maybe Ralph? Or Carl?"

Mia and Valentina started to giggle again and Mia shook her head. "Sven!"

Judy raised her eyebrows, and sounded puzzled. "Sven? Are you joking? He had his ninths birthday a few months ago. I don't think that even today's kids are starting so early!"

Nick looked to Evelin with a sly grin who was looking shyly. "Wow, my best wishes Evelin!"

"Thank you, Nick." Eve snickered quietly, then after realizing Judy's puzzled look even started to laugh. It took Judy a few more seconds until the penny had dropped.

"Oh my goodness!" She gasped and put her paws in front of her mouth. " _Your_ Sven proposed to _you_?" When Evelin nodded beaming Judy leaped up and jumped right on the armchair Evelin was sitting on, directly into her arms. "Congratulations, Eve! I'm so happy for you!"

They embraced each other while Mia and Valentina both grinned. "I did not even told it Mom and Dad, actually you should be the first to know, Juju!" Evelin grinned and gave her older sister a kiss on her cheeks. "But I couldn't hide it from Mia and Val, we still share a room together."

"Mom and Dad will totally lose it, they always loved Sven like their own son!" Judy beamed. Evelin giggled but could catch a quick look over Judy's shoulders to Nick; he really seemed to be happy for her and smiled. But the moment he stood up from the couch there was a very short distressed look.

"I think we have something to celebrate, I will get us some sparkling wine!" he said and walked fleet-footed to the kitchen.

"Can I go to the bathroom?" Evelin asked Judy quietly.

"Of course, just into the hall and the first door to the right, opposite to the kitchen." Judy smiled and hopped to her other two sisters when Eve slipped from the chair.

Nick had put five champagne glasses onto a silver plate and hold two champagne bottles in his hands, deciding which one to open. When he decided for the carrots champagne and put the other one back into the fridge, Evelin entered the kitchen.

"We also like the one with blueberry flavor, you don't have to drink something with carrot flavor to impress anybody, you know that, right?" She had closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall.

"What? Oh… yeah, it's okay. It's your engagement we are celebrating and I'm accustomed to the flavor of carrots by now." He smiled and put a white cloth napkin around the bottle neck, fumbling with the cork.

"Is everything okay between you and Judy?"

Nick let the bottle almost fall to the floor. "What? Of course! Why do you even ask?"

"I don't know; I have a keen sense and you seemed to be somewhat distressed when we talked about the proposal."

"I'm really happy for you!" Nick smiled widely and Evelin returned the smile.

"Thank you, but that doesn't answer my question." Nick didn't answer but fumbled with the cork of the bottle again. "I have two theories; do you want to hear them?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "Number one: It's because of Sam's proposal being rejected and what Judy said about them being together for ' _just a few months_ '." Nick still didn't answer but his ears twitched a bit. "Number two: It's about Judy's comment about how our parents love Sven like their own son, reminding you of your own bumpy start with them." Now Nick's ears dropped just like his shoulders. "My guess would be: Both are true. What do you think, am I close-by?"

Nick put the bottle on the silver plate with a sigh, braced the shelf with his arms and let his head sink. He didn't noticed Evelin made a few steps in his direction until she put her paw on his arm.

"Nick, she really loves you. And as far as I can tell you are crazy about her, too."

"Yes, I am."

"Relating to those two theories…" Evelin started again. "She wouldn't dismiss you and she will wait for you asking her as long as it may take. Take your time if you are not ready, yet." Nick straighten up and turned around, trying to smile. "And second, maybe you had a rough start with our parents. But they really started to like you by now. There is nothing to worry about, Nick."

The fox softened his look and embraced Evelin firmly. "Thank you. You are really the best." He smiled and Evelin winked at him.

"I know. And now let's go back to the living room, or the others will start to gossip about us." They both laughed and while Nick carried the silver plate with the glasses and the bottle, Evelin hold up the door for him.

Judy, Mia and Valentina were tattling about some other siblings and their relationships, Evelin sat down on her seat and Nick put down the silver plate onto the table. He took the bottle, wrapping the cloth napkin around the bottleneck and carefully opened the cork. After pouring some carrot champagne into all glasses and giving them to all rabbits, Nick lifted his own glass:

"Being in love means, butterflies in the stomach. Being engaged means, the butterflies found a cocoon. To Evelin and Sven, may your love last until the end of time."

They all clinked their glasses and after they all took a first sip and sit down again, Judy looked into Nicks eyes. "That was a really nice toast." She smiled, gave him a kiss on his cheek and snuggled against his shoulder.


	15. 2x04 - Family

"A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another, the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But, if these minds get out of harmony with one another, it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden." -The Buddha

* * *

Judy and Nick accompanied Judy's sisters Evelin, Mia and Valentina to the Zootopia main station after their visit. It was already late on a Saturday evening and on their way home, Nick hold his tail and arm around Judy's shoulders to keep the cold autumn air away from her. They walked past a few still opened retail stores and at their favorite pavement café they walked in sat down at a corner seat.

"Hello officers!" the red panda greeted them with a smile. "Had a long day at work?"

"Hi Philipp." Judy replied with a smile. "No, just making an evening stroll, we have a free weekend for once."

"Ah, even better! What will it be?"

"For me a hot chocolate with cream, please." Judy grinned with anticipation.

"Sounds good, for me too!" Nick put the menu back to the stand on the table.

"Two times hot chocolate with cream. All right!" The red panda made a short note on his block and walked back to the counter.

"I was never before a bridesmaid, not to mention maid of honor!" Judy giggled.

"You have a few hundred siblings and you were never a bridesmaid?" Nick raised his brows disbelieving, but Judy rolled her eyes.

"I was … busy! School, studying, police academy, ..." she looked thoughtful and put a paw on her chin. "Come to think of it, I really missed a lot of family events."

"Do you have regrets about it?"

"It's a pity but at that time I had other goals and priorities. And by now it's nice to visit my family on a regular schedule. What about you?"

"Was I a bridesmaid? No. No, I wasn't." Nick winked to her.

"Dumb fox. What about being a groomsman?"

Nick shook slowly his head. "Nope. I don't have such a big family, as you know. And I hardly was so close to other animals that they would invite me to a wedding."

Judy turned around to fully face Nick, looking at him with disbelieve. "You were never on a wedding before?" Nick just shrugged.

"I was invited one or two times, but going to a wedding all alone is somewhat depressing."

"I would have bet that you would have been the first to flirt with the maid of honor." Judy snickered.

"Oh, on Evelin's wedding I will, promised!" They both laughed and the red panda named Philipp brought them their cups with hot chocolate. On Nick's one the creaming was formed like the head of a fox, and on Judy's it was in the form of a rabbit.

"Wow, that looks gorgeous!"

"Thank you!" he smiled and walked away again.

"Can we switch our cups?" Judy looked pleading at Nick with those big purple eyes and the fox just raised a brow with a smile.

"Of course, carrots." Judy took Nicks cup with a wide grin and took a sip. "Do you want to taste the foxy cream?" She choked on the foam and snorted with laughter.

"Nick!" she giggled and beat him with her paw on his arm.

"I'm just asking, I love to slurp my little bunny…" while talking he hold the cup with the bunny-top in his paws and licked with the tip of his tongue the ears made of cream away. Judy snorted again and the cream was now all around her nose.

"You are impossible, Nick!" Judy chuckled and wiped away the cream in her face. He put his own paw under her chin and turned her head; darting forward with his head and kissing her on her nose, removing a last piece of cream. "Iieks!" she snickered.

"Hmm, tasty! I think I will eat my rabbit with cream only with immediate effect!"

Judy's inner ears turned dark with embarrassment and she put her paw in front of her mouth. "Shhh, not so loud!" But Judy's scent already gave him goose bumps again, he totally had forgotten that she was still in heat. Quietly moaning he turned back to his cup of hot chocolate and took another sip.

* * *

They sat at the breakfast table the next morning, after sleeping in until nearly eleven o'clock. While eating her slice of coarse rye bread with marmalade and curd cheese, Nick was making notes into a notebook. Judy curiously looked at the notebook, but couldn't read anything; the fox was blocking her view with his paw and put the notebook away when Judy raised her head to sneak a peek.

"Hey! What's so secret, fox-trot?" she pouted, pulling a face.

"If I would tell you, it wouldn't be secret anymore." Nick winked with a cheeky grin and took a sip from his coffee. Judy stuck her tongue out and consecrated herself again to her breakfast. "Any plans for today, carrots?"

"Nothing concrete, maybe bumming around on the sofa and watching TV?"

"You and bumming around? That is so atypical for you!"

"Maybe I just want to enjoy our free weekend, and eventually we can continue where we had stopped last night because a red fured someone was too exhausted." She winked and had those sparkling eyes again.

"You are really getting me down." Nick groaned. "If I had known that rabbits could be so insatiable…" he made a meaningful gesture and raised his eyebrows.

"I know that you are enjoying every second of it!" Judy grinned, and Nick smiled.

"Just like you. But instead of just being fun it's more of an exercise to have intercourse when you are in heat. Are all rabbits so persevering?"

"To be fair, I'm a bit of a late bloomer and have quite something to make good for I think." Judy snickered. "And it's getting better after having the first litter. That's the reason most of us are getting married early and starting their own family."

"But you have quite a lot of older siblings being still single, as far as I know?"

"Maybe there are some unmarried, but fewest are single. And all the hard work on our farm keeps us busy and exhausted." Judy giggled, thinking back to her first half year in Zootopia when she was exploiting herself with hours in the gym.

"So, I should get you a treadmill perhaps?"

"That's not working anymore, one time sampling a fox made me addicted to you." She winked knowing and Nick laughed.

"I knew that I am irresistible, but that sounds like I'm a drug!"

"Well, kind of." Judy grinned and squatted on her chair, ready to leap onto Nick. "And I think I'm in need of another shot!" She jumped in his direction and the fox caught her with his paws, turning her around with a fluid movement and they both landed on the floor.

"What do you think of a cold turkey…" he began but Judy was already so aroused that her scent bemused his senses and he leant in for an impulsively kiss.

* * *

"What do you have in your backpack, Nick?" Judy asked inquisitive while they were strolling in the Sahara Central Park in the afternoon.

"Oh, that? Just a little surprise for you." He put his arm around her shoulders and smiled. "We just have to reach the glades on the other side and I will show you."

"Well, in that case…" Judy grinned and out of a sudden she started to sprint.

"Hey! You are jumping the gun!" Nick rushed afterwards her and twenty or so seconds later he reached Judy who was waiting, demonstratively with her paws on her hips.

"I'm falling asleep while waiting for you, hurry up a bit!" she laughed.

Nick just harrumphed and put the backpack on the grass, squatting beside it and opening the zipper. Judy hopped impatiently to him and bend over to take a close look; but all she could see was some red polyester canvas. "Okay…?" she looked inquiring to Nick. The fox smiled, took the canvas and a small spool of black wire.

"Just hold this, carrots." He gave her the spool and took the loose end of the wire, threading it into a small hole in the canvas. Judy looked somewhat puzzled while Nick was pushing more and more of the wire into the red canvas; but it took her just a few moments until the loose hanging cloth was forming a heart shape and Judy squealed with glee. When he was nearly finished, she could see also something written on it. Judy had to turn her head a bit, but after Nick finished he hold the big heart-shaped canvas in front of him so she could read it easily: ' _Judy & Nick_'

"How sweet!" She beamed with joy, clapping her hands and bouncing with her legs.

"Wait for it." Nick winked and took another spool with nylon cord from it. With a few quick knots he attached it to the heart and now Judy recognized the whole thing as a kite. "What do you think, carrots. Are you brave enough to let this kite fly for everyone to read?" he grinned and hold the spool with the nylon cord out to Judy. She grinned at him and took it eagerly.

"You betcha!" Judy kneeled down into a launch position and looked back over her shoulder to Nick. "Are you ready?"

Nick looked for the remaining foliage of the trees to determine the direction of the wind, and turned around so it was facing him. He holds the heart into the air and winked to Judy: "I'm ready!"

"Then let's go!" Judy shouted and when she started to sprint Nick let the kite go; with Judy running really fast and unwinding the nylon cord the kite was flying high very quickly. While Judy reached the end of the glade their heart shaped kite reached at least twenty meters and was sliding with a few light wind gusts. Nick slowly walked to Judy with a big smile. She was beaming and jumping like a little kit.

"I didn't fly a kite for ages!" she laughed gleefully and Nick snickered, holding his phone up and making a few photos. Finally, he stood behind her, putting his arms around her body below her arms and rested his chin between her ears, watching the kite dancing with the wind.

"I am impressed, carrots. When I tried to let a kite fly my first attempts always ended with some crashes." He laughed.

"We were always too many kits, you know? If one of us wanted to let a kite fly a few dozens of siblings wanted, too. On our big fields was enough room, but it was always somewhat chaotic and we crashed into each other."

"It must be a lot of fun when you are a kit and have so many siblings."

"Most of the time, yes. But when you grow older we all have to take more responsibilities for your younger siblings. And as you know, I'm from an early litter so there were quite a lot of brothers and sisters to watch for."

"I never asked, but are such big families normal for rabbits?"

"It depends. If you are living in the countryside, families are generally bigger as if you are living in a city. And in case you have a lot of farmland they are even much larger because there is simply so much work to do. But you also have enough space and money due to selling your harvests so you can feed them all. The environment is playing quite a big role."

"Mh."

"What are you thinking, foxy?"

"Just wanted to know for what I have to brace myself." Nick grinned, poking her on the butt and Judy squeaked, nearly dropping the nylon cord.

"Hey, be careful or our heart is flying away!" she giggled but Nick just shrugged.

"As long as my sweetheart is staying with me, I don't care." He kissed between her ears and when he put his chin back onto her head he scented her moonily.

After a minute or so of silence Judy asked: "Do you want own kits, Nick?" She could not see him but felt how he nodded slowly with his head. After another few minutes of silence he asked in return.

"Do you?"

"I have to confess I never really thought about it until I met you; but yes, now I'm certain about it and love the idea of starting my own family – with you." She pulled the head into her neck and smiled up to Nick, who gave her an endearing kiss in return.

"Do you think that Evelin and Sven are marrying for this reason?"

"Only few of us are marrying because they are pregnant, but more out of such old school reasons like love." Judy winked. "But she really loves kits and I bet she wants to have a big family on her own in the future, too."

"Oh, this future may be ahead of schedule…" Nick snickered and Judy cocked her head.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, as far as I could tell she is most probably pregnant already."

"WHAT?!" This time Judy dropped the cord and turned around to Nick in such a quick move that the fox nearly stumbled, her eyes wide open with complete surprise. Nick didn't have the time to answer her when she already grabbed him on his shirt and shook him. "What are you talking about? Evelin is pregnant? How do you even know? Did she said anything to you? What…"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Nick laughed and repelled from her shaking-attack, then pouted while looking in the sky where their kite was flying even higher, dragging the spool with the nylon cord with him. "Now you really let our heart fly away, carrots!"

"Nick!" Judy wiped the kite away with a quick gesture, but she finally let go off his shirt, stamping frantically with her right feet. The fox just pointed with his paw to his nose and smiled.

"At first it was a little difficult, because your scent really distracted me. But when we talked in the kitchen alone I was quite sure about it."

"You can _smell_ when someone is pregnant?" Judy just stared at him, his exceptional sense of smell was amazing her even more.

"It's a really subtle change, I think it's some kind of hormones changing or something near it."

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy snickered and put her paws in front of her mouth. "Did you tell her?"

"Of course not!" Nick frowned a bit. "You are the only one whom I told about my _special_ olfaction; it would be hard to explain to other people. And I'm really a special case, because most foxes don't spend so much time with rabbits so it's just getting lost in the shuffle of all the other scents most of us are suppressing."

"Holy green carrot; that will knock Dad for six, and Mom will so be flipping out!" she laughed, then looked up in the sky where their kite was dancing higher and higher. "I bet it's flying up in hog heaven."

"Then I'm sure we will meet him there again." Nick winked, put his arm around Judy's shoulders and they continued their walk through the park.


	16. 2x05 - Final Cut

_"The most amazing thing for me is that every single person who sees a movie, not necessarily one of my movies, brings a whole set of unique experiences. Now, through careful manipulation and good storytelling, you can get everybody to clap at the same time, to hopefully laugh at the same time, and to be afraid at the same time." Steven Spielberg_

* * *

About two weeks after Evelin's visit Judy and Nick took a few long overdue vacation days at work and were now sitting on the Zootopia Express in the direction of Bunnyburrow. It was Wednesday at the end of October and the wedding was occurring on Sunday. So Judy and Nick had enough time to spend a few nice days with her family and help them with all the arrangements.

"Oh, I am so excited!" Judy grinned stupidly, clapping her paws together.

"It will surely be great". Nick smiled softly, but Judy's ears twitched slightly.

"Huh? Something wrong, Nick?" The last week she had phoned a lot with Evelin, her mother and other siblings, and whenever she was spending some time with Nick, Judy just talked about the upcoming wedding and how happy she was for her sis. Nick always seemed to share her enthusiasm and to be delighted for Evelin and Sven. But it also didn't slip her attention that her boyfriend was getting more and more reserved since their visit in Bunnyburrow was closing in.

"I just thought about all those guests at the wedding. Your family is okay with me, but what if all others are uncomfortable with a fox among them?"

"You are not going to that wedding as a fox, but as my significant other. Nobody will object to it and I'm sure Evelin has told one or two stories about us to her and her fiancé's friends. But maybe I should walk you on a leash…" she considered this for a moment.

"Hey, that was a unique experiment!" Nick winked. "But apropos embarrassments, have you already planned something for Evelin's bachelorette party?"

"Oh, we will go out with some siblings and a few from Sven's family, too, on Friday night, painting the town red!" she giggled.

"Is there even some place to party at in Bunnyburrow?" Nick asked curiously; they had visited the town two times a month for over a half year now, but most of the time they just stayed at the Hopps' farm, not really exploring Bunnyburrow itself.

"Of course! We have a few pubs and bars in Bunnyburrow and we already had some wild parties there in times past". Nick raised a brow and Judy grinned. "My eighteenth and twenty first birthdays were quite a jamboree". She winked.

"No wonder, you are drunk even after only two glasses of beer or wine". Nick laughed quietly but Judy just shrugged.

"Going out never got too expensive at least and this time even less, Evelin cannot drink any alcoholic beverages because of her pregnancy, so we will all cut it off".

"What a bummer! I was already looking forward to seducing the drunken maid of honor", Nick slyly grinned at her.

"We'll wait and see what happens". She winked back at him.

A soft gong could be heard through the loudspeakers of their compartment, then the voice of the train conductor: "Dear passengers, we'll arrive at Bunnyburrow station in about five minutes. The exit is on the left side, regarding our travel direction. Please don't forget any luggage when leaving the train and thank you for traveling with the Zootopia Express".

* * *

"Hi sweetheart!" Bonnie Hopps waved her paw when she saw Judy and Nick walking over the path from the bus stop to the house. Judy waved back with a smile and started to run the last few meters to hug her mother. Nick carried a backpack and with each paw a traveling bag, so Bonnie just gave him a quick hug. "Hi Nick, you can go straight into the house. We've already prepared the guest room for you two. But on Sunday we will have to use it to store all the presents, too".

"That's no problem, Bonnie". Nick replied her smile and carried their luggage to the house. But he did not even reach the front door when he was surrounded by a dozen little rabbits that stormed out of the house to welcome their sister and favourite fox. While a few rabbits were shouting and dancing around him, the others were hopping on his arms and the bags; Amie was pulling herself onto Nick's head, holding his ears as a grip. "Argh…!"

Judy and Bonnie bubbled over with laughter, watching how Nick was stumbling and trying to hold his balance with all those bags and little bunnies on top of him.

"Judy? Please?!" Nick sounded desperate for help and still laughing Judy walked over to him and took Amie and two other siblings from him.

"You can play with Nick later, let him first bring our baggage to the room". Judy still giggled and wiped a tear from her eyes.

"I think there are still some pancakes in the kitchen, first come first serve!" Evelin stepped out of the house and her offer convinced the other kits to let Nick go and rush back into the house.

"Thank you!" Nick groaned. "Just a minute, I will bring the bags away before those alpinists come back".

"No rush". Evelin grinned and hugged Judy salutatory. "Hey, Juju! Great that you could spend some time here!"

"Are you joking?" Judy laughed and kissed her sister on each cheek. "I'm not going to miss this for the life of me!" Then she took a step back and gazed at Evelin's slightly bigger stomach. "You look beautiful, Eve! How are you feeling?"

"Great so far. Doctor Greenwood said that everything looks fine. It's about the third week now, so mid-way done". Evelin beamed with joy and put her paws on her pregnant belly.

"Do you already know how big your litter will be?"

"Just an average one with four kits".

"Oh, this is just so great, I'm really happy for you!" Judy hugged Evelin again when Nick left the house with three little bunnies on his arm. Judy snickered quietly, every time it was an odd picture to see her big red fox with a few of her little sisters in his arms or on his shoulders and head. But it also gave her a warm sensation every time, Nick would be a great father. While she was still staring with a smile to Nick, the fox hugged Evelin and greeted her.

"You are really beautiful; this beam in your eyes… the pregnancy is very becoming of you!"

Evelin snickered with a smile. "Thank you, I'm feeling great, too". Then with a look to Judy: "You two can come with me and meet Sven. I think he is in the small kitchen and tasting Gideon's cakes".

"Gideon is here, too?" Nick asked curiously. He met the fox a few times on his weekend visits and having another fox around for the wedding means that he would not stick out as much.

"Yepp, he brought us quite a big variety of cake pieces to taste so we can select what to order for Sunday. I have already chosen my favorites, but Sven is really indecisive today". Evelin laughed and they walked around the house to the back entrance, that was leading directly to the aforementioned kitchen.

"Where is Dad?" Judy asked and Evelin answered.

"Oh, he is in town with John, Sam, Ralph and Joshua. They should be back in a few hours".

Nick didn't say anything, but Judy heard his heartbeat accelerating slightly. Joshua never made his opinion against foxes a secret and Nick still remembered his first encounter with him, that didn't go well. Since then a lot of time had passed, but Joshua still always left shortly after Nick entered a room and they never bandy words. Judy just hoped that it wouldn't lead to another argument during their stay.

Evelin seemed to guess what Judy was thinking and smiled at her. "Don't worry, Mom and Dad already made it clear that they will not tolerate any dispute this weekend and he should finally settle for the fact that Nick is a part of our family now". She spoke really quiet to not disconcert Nick who was walking a few steps ahead and talking with Bonnie.

"What about Granddad?" Judy replied as quietly as Evelin. "Neither Otto nor Alfred are big fans of Nick, too".

"Oh, don't mind Pop-Pop and Al-Grumpy, I already had a talk with them. If they want to spend even the slightest moment with their great grandchildren they'd better behave".

"Don't let Nick hear that, he seems to be really nervous, even when he tries not to show it. You would think he is going to marry on Sunday, not you and Sven". Judy snickered and Evelin joined in, but the younger siblings nose was twitching slightly.

* * *

When Judy and Evelin entered the backdoor, they saw Sven sitting at the big table with over twenty different pieces of cake in front of him. But to Judy's surprise there was no sign of Nick or her mother; she would have bet that they were right ahead of them, but obviously they weren't.

"Hey sweetheart!" Evelin jolted Sven out of deep-thinking with her greeting and her fiancé smiled.

"Hey whiskers!" He stood up from his chair, walked up to Evelin and hugged her with a big kiss. "Hey, Judy! Great to see you! You have to help us with those cakes…" he looked pleadingly at her and the two girls laughed.

"Okay, let's see what you got there". Judy put her arm around Sven's shoulders and they walked over to the table with the cake pieces.

* * *

As the day progressed Judy helped Evelin together with her other siblings prepare all kinds of different things: planning the seating arrangements, choosing between different folding techniques for the napkins, discussing the cakes with Gideon, picking the flower arrangements for the decorations and lots of other things. But she didn't see Nick for the rest of the day and all the siblings she asked, if they had saw him, denied or ran away giggling. It was not until supper when they all sat together in one of the three kitchens when Nick suddenly stood behind her and gave her a kiss on her shoulders.

"Hey, carrots. How was your day?" Nick smiled a bit tired.

"Exhausting, we had a lot of things to do. What about you? You suddenly vanished and I didn't see you all day". Judy turned around, embracing him with her arms and giving him a soft kiss, sounding a bit worried.

"Oh, the same as you! I worked together with your Dad, Ralph and Sam on some preparations".

"Then let's have a cozy evening together on the couch after dinner, what do you think?" Judy sat down at the table and Nick picked the seat beside her.

"Good idea, I just have to finish a pinprick before. But that should not take more than half an hour, an hour tops".

"I will help you to speed things up", Judy smiled but Nick just shook his head.

"Don't bother, Judy. You had enough to do today and you can choose a DVD in the meantime".

"Mh, if you think so". Judy was a bit puzzled; Nick never refused an offer to share work and nine times out of ten he didn't let her pick the movie to watch. But after thinking about it she blamed the whole situation for it. He was probably entrusted with something he hadn't finished yet and didn't want to lose face in front of her family. She shrugged and took the bowl with salad from Miriam.

Judy talked quite enthusiastically with some of her siblings during dinner she only see rarely. When most of the others were leaving and the older ones started to clear the table, her eyes travelled over the remaining faces. Nick was already gone, she had no idea when or where. But she also couldn't find Evelin or Ralph who were sitting across the table a short while ago. Curiously she walked through the first floor; in all the common rooms were quite a lot of rabbits, but she couldn't see Nick's red-furred head in any of them. She walked to Evelin and her litter sister's room, but only Mia was sitting on her bed playing with her phone.

"Hey, Mia". Judy waved to her sister and Mia put down her phone immediately with a huge grin, her nose twitching madly.

"Huhu Juju. Are you looking for something?" she asked canting.

"Yeah, indeed. I cannot find Evelin or Valentina and even Nick seems to have dissolved; you would think that a fox in a burrow would be easy to find". She insinuated a short laugh, but Mia just shrugged.

"Sorry, Ju. Last time I saw them was during dinner. Didn't Nick sit beside you?"

"Yes, but while talking with Caroline and Jessy I didn't notice when he left".

"Mh, maybe he went for a walk outside because he was surrounded by rabbits all day", Mia winked and Judy nodded with a smile.

"That's quite possible". Judy sounded a bit sad because Nick just muzzled, but had to agree with Mia and tilted her head. "If you see any of them, I'm going to shower and then sit in the main living room." She waved to her sister, who grabbed her phone again with a grin, and left the room.

* * *

Judy waited nearly two and a half hours until Nick finally showed up in the living room. Only very few other siblings still resided and Judy sat on a smaller couch – directly under the pictures of her and Nick her parents had hung up – reading a book.

"Hey, carrots", Nick smiled but Judy didn't react. "Judy?" he tilted his head and squatted in front of her. "Is everything okay?" Finally, she lay the book down and pouted at him frustrated.

"Where for carrots sake were you? I searched nearly the whole burrow for you! I thought we were going to have a nice evening, perhaps watching a bit of TV or something similar. But you just skipped out on me the whole evening!".

Nick sighed and his ears went limp. "Sorry, Judy. I really lost track of the time when I talked with a few of your siblings".

Judy smiled softly and patted on the couch beside her. "Come here, dumb fox. I was worried that all those rabbits are too much for you and you were deliberately hiding".

Nick raised his eyebrows and sat down beside Judy. "I would never hide from you".

"Who knows what you'll do when you're panicking". She winked and leaned her head against his shoulders. Nick put his arm and tail around her and she snuggled against him. Even if she would not admit it, preparing Evelin's wedding was making her a bit jealous, especially since Nick didn't seem to notice it: In the beginning of their relationship they were occasionally joking about getting married themselves, but Nick still didn't talk about that topic seriously. And when Judy considered it, he was acting altered for a few weeks now, taking some time out for himself more often. Letting her stay alone all evening today was just the latest incident. "I'm really glad that you are okay" she whispered a bit sadly.

"I'm touched that you were worried about me". He put his chin on her head between the ears, and after he smelled the shower gel, he subconsciously scented her again.

It only took a few minutes for Judy to doze off. Nick smiled and caressed her arms with his paw and his gaze swept over all those pictures on the wall. In the meantime, he learned how they were arranged: On the left side of the big chimney were photos of all the children when they were kits. Above them, were photos of their parents, grandparents and other relatives. On the right side of the chimney were pictures of all adult children, together with corresponding pictures of their graduation or other life goals. Also, there were prominent photos of them together with their partners – a normal wooden frame for those in a relationship, a silver frame for those engaged and a golden frame for those married and of course there were photos of their own kits surrounding those pictures. All four walls of this really big living room was basically a gigantic family tree showing their bloodline including all important steps in their perspective lives.

Nick's looks paused on the picture of Judy and himself and smiled again. It showed him sitting in the grass, Judy standing behind him with her arms embracing him and a few of Judy's youngest siblings were sitting or climbing on Nick's lap and chest while the fox was giving her youngest sister Violet the baby's bottle. The picture was made a few months ago when they visited the Hopps' farm after the birth of Stu and Bonnie's 48th litter with seven kits. Events like those made it very clear that Judy's family really had accepted him, and not only putting up a brave front for the sake of Judy.

His gaze went down to the rabbit in his arms, peacefully sleeping with a smile on her face. If someone had told him just one year ago that he would be sitting in a burrow with a lovely bunny in his arms he would do anything for, Nick would have adjudged them as absolutely crazy. Even now he sometimes thought that all of this had to be a big hustle and any moment someone would jump around the corner, taunting him for believing in it for so long. But it never happened and if there was one animal he could count on 100 percent, it was Judy.

Another rabbit sat down beside him and even before turning his head around he scented the gestation hormones of Evelin. "Is she asleep?" the soon-to-be bride asked quietly while bending over.

Nick nodded and stroked Judy's cheeks with his thumb. "Do you think you can occupy her tomorrow, too?" he asked and Evelin grinned slyly.

"Of course, that shouldn't be a problem. How much did you finish today?"

"I worked together with Ralph for most of the day, tomorrow we are going into town for the rest. Everything should be finished on time". Nick and Evelin talked very quietly. "Are you nervous? I mean for Sunday".

"Not much yet, but I'm getting more excited every day". Evelin snickered.

"I really owe you something for all your support during the last year, and especially now". Nick smiled softly but Evelin waved it aside.

"It's really funny and above all I'm honored". She poked him with her elbow and Nick gave her a short kiss on the cheek. "Okay, I'm going to bed now. Tomorrow will be a busy day". Evelin got up from the couch.

"Good night, Eve. Greetings to Mia and Valentina".

"Night, Nick". She waved and left the room. A few other siblings were talking in another corner of the room and Sam was reading a book in a wingback chair. He checked the pendulum clock: Nearly eleven o'clock. Carefully, he grabbed Judy with his arms and lifted her up while getting up from the couch himself. He slowly walked to the big door and when he wanted to try opening it with his elbow, Joshua stepped beside him. Nick hadn't saw the older rabbit the whole day, but now he opened the door for him. Nick looked a bit surprised, but nodded slowly and said 'Thank you, Joshua' before he went through the open door. Judy's older brother seemed to hesitate but finally spoke to the fox:

"Wait a second… Nick".

This caught Nick by surprise even more and he slowly turned around, carefully looking to not bang Judy's head against the door frame. Joshua had never spoke directly with him in the past and this encounter was somewhat awkward for Nick; but the oldest of Judy's siblings seems to have some difficulty with the situation, too. "Yes?"

"I… had a very long talk with Sven and Ralph a few days ago and… Ralph showed me…" Nick looked warningly at him with a nod to Judy, and Joshua nodded slowly. "Well, can we have a talk tomorrow?"

Nick hesitated for a moment, then slowly replied. "We should not quarrel; this is first and foremost Evelin's special weekend and…"

"I don't want to argue with you, promise". Joshua made a quick gesture and shook his head.

Nick nodded, looked down to Judy then back to Joshua. "Okay, we can talk tomorrow after breakfast. Let's meet at the barn behind the house?"

"Okay, thanks. Night".

"Good night". Nick turned around again and walked to the guest room he and Judy were staying in. This encounter was quite a surprise, but he would meet Joshua open-minded, hoping that it would not get out of hand. He opened their room door with his elbow; the room was dark, but his night vision allowed him to see the whole room in detail. Nick decided to not switch on the light so Judy wouldn't wake up from it and laid her on the big bed. While closing the door he undressed himself, then got in the bed, too, curling up and snuggling against his little rabbit. But it took him nearly two more hours to finally get to sleep, his thoughts revolving around the past few weeks and the upcoming days.

* * *

On Thursday Nick and Judy woke up quite early but most of the others were already awake and working in the house. Judy dressed up in fresh clothes and Nick also took a new shirt from their bag. Nevertheless, they were within the last group who had breakfast at eight o'clock. While drinking some hot tea, Judy asked:

"What are you going to do today?"

"I promised Ralph and Sam I'd accompany them into town today. We will see what I can help with", he winked. "What about you?"

"We are going to the community hall today for a trial run".

"You really have a trial run before the real wedding?" Nick's eyes grew wide and Judy snickered.

"Of course, the whole ceremony is like one big production. To make it perfect you have to practice it".

"And I thought that everything would be off-hand, but it is more of a rehearsed theater!"

Judy beat him on his shoulder and grinned.

After they finished breakfast, they said goodbye to each other with a kiss and left in opposite directions.

The rest of the day past really quickly with all of the Hopps family working in the house or preparing the tents on the adjacent meadow. Nearly four dozen rabbits were working together to pitch the large tent that was large enough to host tables and benches for at least 500 guests, the buffet, a small stage for a band and a wooden dance floor made out of pallets. Tomorrow the trucking company would come with dozens of collapsible tables and benches and a few big umbrella heaters and until then the tent had to be erected and secured completely.

During the trial run of the wedding ceremony everything worked instantly and in the afternoon the bride and bridesmaids retreated to make a last fitting of their dresses. While most of Evelin's sisters had had white bridal dresses, Evelin decided to make things different and bring a bit of color into it: Her bridal dress was made out of beige and pink clothes, with the main part made out of silk and a light purple. The ivory satin bodice was padded slightly at the hips and narrowed at the waist. The bodice incorporated floral motifs cut from machine-made lace, which were then appliquéd on to silk net. On the back were 27 buttons of gazar and organza, which fastened by means of Rouleau loops. The skirt, underskirt trim and bridal train – which measured about 170 centimeters – also incorporated lace appliquéd in a similar manner. The main body of the dress was made in white and pink satin gazar with a long, full skirt designed to echo an opening flower, with soft pleats which unfolded to the floor, forming a Victorian-style semi-bustle at the back, and finishing in a short train measuring just under two meters in length.

The bridesmaids had a pink and white dress with a satin gazar, each one echoing a smaller version of the opening flower the bridal dress represented. Only the dress for the maid of honor was somewhat more extravagant, albeit not as much as the bridal dress. It was shoulder-free and had some more purple accents; it really emphasized Judy's eyes and would have made a great bridal dress for itself.

A few younger rabbits took some last measurements on all the dresses to adjust them to the individual wearer. Evelin's dress was left a bit wider at the waist regarding her pregnant belly. They were kidding around the whole afternoon only going back home when it was already dark outside.

* * *

At about seven o'clock they all sat together for dinner, talking about the wedding. The only one missing again was Nick. Judy thought at first that he was just sitting in one of the other two dining rooms, but she couldn't find him there, either. She asked a few of her brothers, with Ralph and Sam leading the way, but they just shrugged and said that they returned from town a few hours ago. Then she asked her mother, but Bonnie had also not noticed him; and now Judy was missing another one: Stu, her Dad, was missing from dinner, too! But what could be important enough to not defer it for an hour or so? She went outside and walked over to the big tent. It was mostly dark but for a few small lights near the corner. But someone just forgot to switch them off, nobody was outside with her and Judy sighed in low spirits. She slowly walked back into the house where most of their siblings were helping cleaning the tables, along some halls, towards the main living room she sat in yesterday. In that moment first Stu, then Nick walked around the corner, coming towards her.

"Hey, carrots!"

"Nick!" Judy sounded relieved, hopped towards him and then embraced him a bit jittery in a firm hug. "I missed you during dinner, where were you?"

"He helped me repair the chimney, the flap was stuck and Nick is lean and strong enough to reach and repair it". Stu answered, patting the fox on his back.

"No problem at all, Stu", Nick smiled, then looked to Judy. "Sorry that I missed you for dinner, it took a little more time than we thought to fix it".

"I was just wondering; I hardly catch sight of you these days", she smiled softly at him but neither Stu nor Nick missed the slightly sad look in her eyes. "Maybe we can still find something for you two to eat", Judy quickly turned around. "But don't expect too much, we were all quite hungry today!"

After having some dinner, Nick and Judy joined her parents and a few other siblings in one of the smaller living rooms. Evelin and Sven were sitting on a couch, too, and while playing 'Mau Mau' they chatted about the wedding and all kinds of preparations still to do.

"Don't worry about the tables and benches, we will arrange them tomorrow so you can start to decorate everything after lunch". Stu said to Evelin and Judy.

"And I made an appointment with the florist on Saturday, he will deliver the bouquets in the afternoon and will irrigate them on Sunday morning while we are at the community hall. Oh, and you have to take two extra-cards, Stu". She winked while playing the seven of diamonds and Stu snorted silently.

"You are all a great support!" Sven smiled and put the ace of diamonds on top of the other cards. "My siblings will come tomorrow morning to help with the tables and benches, too".

"Does your family also live in Bunnyburrow?" Nick asked curious, but he seemed to be absent-minded.

"No, they live in Vertiform City, about an hour away". He turned around to Stu and Bonnie. "Thank you again, that our wedding can take place at your home! Only a fraction of our guests would have fit on our own property".

"Don't worry, my son, it's a pleasure for us!" Stu said with a big smile and Judy wondered, if she would ever hear him say something similar regarding Nick. She was smiling on the thought of a fox being called 'son' by a rabbit, but at the same time it became clear to her that her own relationship was more and more going to the dogs, their marriage receding far into the distance. And she had no idea how on earth everything got to this point. Evelin jolted her out of her daydreams when she put down an eight and made Judy pause this turn.

"Ey!" Judy mumbled and poked her tongue out at her sister with a faint smile.

Evelin laughed and poked her own tongue out at Judy, too. Nick put his next-to-last card down and smiled slyly. "Mau…"

"Are your sisters coming tomorrow, too?" Judy asked Eve's fiancé, trying to distract herself. "We still have planned a little bachelorette party tomorrow".

"Yepp, but they will arrive with the train in the afternoon", Sven replied. "Just don't overdo it". He winked and Evelin snickered.

"Don't worry darling, there will be no alcohol, so it will be quite tame". She kissed him on his cheek.

Bonnie laid her last card on the table: "Mau Mau! I won again". She poked her elbow into Stu's ribs.

"Ouch…" he snorted and they all threw their cards together. "Another round?"

"Not for us, we have to discuss a few details regarding the wedding". Evelin smiled and got up from the couch with Sven supporting her arm. "Good night everyone, see you tomorrow!"

"Night all!" Sven added and while the others were wishing them a good night, too, he and Evelin left the room, talking and giggling silently.

"What about you?" Stu asked Nick and Judy but the fox shook his head.

"Sorry, Stu. But I want to take a shower and it's already pretty late. But maybe Judy…?"

Judy shook her head, too. "I think I will call it a day, too". She got off the couch, walked over to her parents and gave them a good-night-hug and kiss. "Sleep well, darling. You, too, Nick!" Bonnie smiled at them both and Judy linked her arms with her fox, leaving the room.

While they walked along the hall, Judy leaned her head against Nick's arm. "I'm so happy for Eve and Sven". She said quietly and smiled moony. "And her dress is stunning! I'm not a big fan of dresses, but this one is really awesome!"

"Well, it's just my two cents, but I think that you look really beautiful in a dress". Nick purred while stroking her neck with his paw.

"I just think that they are impractical".

"A dress should not be something practical, Judy", he snickered. "It's something to emphasize your own beauty!"

"Uh-hu" Judy smirked and they reached the bathroom near their room. "Would you mind if I join you for a shower?"

"Of course not, I can use you as a fluffy sponge to lather". He grinned and avoided being hit by her small fist. They entered the bathroom and Judy undressed rather quickly, turning on the water and stepping under the shower. Nick took off his clothes at his leisure and joined Judy. The shower was much smaller than theirs at home, originally being designed for small animals. Nick had to bend his head forward to rinse the fur on top of it. Judy snickered and offered to help him rub his back.

"Ohhh… that's really great!" Nick moaned satisfied.

"Just like your personal sponge, mh?" Judy snickered and Nick laughed quietly, turning around. He squatted and tickled his paws over her back and shoulders.

"You know that I love you, Judy Hopps, right?". He smiled with a light gleam in his eyes, or was it a tear? Judy wasn't sure but then he kissed her. She put her arms around his neck and replied the kiss passionately. Nick turned off the water with one hand and opened the shower cubicle with the other. When he straightened up to get out of the shower, Judy held up to his neck, clinging with her legs around his hips. Nick smirked and put his paws around her bottom. The little rabbit was at the beginning of a heat cycle, and maybe that explained her all emotional thoughts the last few days, she thought. Nick must had noticed her altered scent, too, because his heartbeat was already accelerating somewhat. Judy whispered in his ears:

"I want you to shag me right now, Mister Wilde!" Nick's eyes grew wide, such plain-spoken words were rather uncommon for Judy, but it really turned him on. He hesitated for a moment, but then Judy nibbled on his neck and Nick moaned. He grabbed her butt and pulled her a little lower before putting one paw on her back. Judy moaned full of relish, her face buried in his shoulder, when he finally didn't try to fight the desire back any longer…

* * *

The next day was already Friday and it started rather bustling. The truck company arrived a bit early and most of the older Hopps children were busy assembling the tables and benches in the big tent. Stu and Nick constructed the platform for the band and the dance floor in the meantime. The tables were arranged in three rows with each one consisting of 18 tables with a bench on each long side. At one end six tables were placed side-by-side across all three rows; those were reserved for the bridal pair, their parents and the marriage witnesses.

With so many backers the work was done in just a few hours, and after a quick lunch the girls started to decorate the tables with white tablecloths, candles, flowers, glitter, bows, and a lot of other little accessories. Evelin and Bonnie were spreading the name tags and in the afternoon they were all folding the linen napkins into white, pink, green, blue and yellow flowers.

It was about five o'clock in the afternoon when Evelin approached Judy.

"Hey, Juju!" she smiled, Judy finished her napkin flower and put it on the next free table.

"Hey, Eve. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, but I have a small request for you", Evelin winked. "Do you think we can go to the cinema before we start to party?"

"To the cinema?!" Judy stared at her but Evelin shrugged.

"The last few days have been so fast-paced and I think I want to settle down a little bit and spend a few easy hours with my best friend before going to party and marry in two days".

"Well, of course". Judy smiled. "Should I call Mia and Valentina and…"

"No, no! Just the two of us!" Evelin smiled and gave Judy a quick kiss on her cheek. "I've seen my other sisters nearly every day in the last few years, but there are very few opportunities to have some fun with you!"

Judy laughed, then hugged Evelin firmly. "I really love you, sis! And your marriage is not going to change this".

"Okay, let's steal off before someone has more work for us to do". She winked, grabbed Judy's paw and dragged her older sister with her, leaving the tent.

"Does the little movie theater in the town still exist?" Judy asked while entering their parents old farming truck.

"Yes, and they still make great popcorn!" Evelin winked while starting the truck and drove off the farm. It took them about fifteen minutes to reach the old but cozy movie theater and immediately found a parking spot. Judy had tried to call Nick a few times to let him know where they went, but couldn't reach him. Frustrated she switched her phone off and threw it onto the dashboard.

"Everything okay, Juju?" Evelin asked a bit worried when they had left the car.

"I tried to call Nick but he didn't answer the phone. Again. He is really hard to reach since we arrived here".

"Maybe he really has a lot to do, trying to impress Dad".

"Yeah… or he is deliberately avoiding me. The thing is we spend so much time together in Zootopia in the past, it's just strange to not have him around all the time". Judy smiled, but her ears dropped a bit; Evelin put her arm around her shoulders and smiled cheery.

"You two are really something special". She nudged Judy with her hips.

"Yeah. Special", Judy smiled with a sad look.

"Huh? Is really everything okay between you two?" Evelin asked worried. "You don't seem to be too happy. What's eating you, Judy?"

The older rabbit shrugged with her shoulders and sighed. "Can you keep a secret, sis?"

"Of course! What is it, Juju?"

"Nick and I…" she started but paused for a moment. "I think we are still… happy together. But I have a feeling that he is getting unsure about his feelings".

"How did you get that idea?" Evelin frowned.

"He is more withdrawn lately, spending more time on his own. And whenever I tried to talk about our common future, he just laughed it off as a joke. And for the last few weeks he is even more distanced" Judy spoke quietly with sad eyes.

"Do you think he doesn't love you anymore?" Evelin put her arm around her sisters shoulders and snuggled sympathetic against her cheek.

"I'm quite sure that he still loves me, that makes things even more awkward because I cannot understand his behavior".

"And do you still love him?" she smiled softly and Judy returned her smile.

"You know the answer to that question, Eve. Of course, I'm still totally in love with this dumb fox."

They were standing in the lounge of the small cinema by now. "Well, let me get us some tickets for today's sneak-preview, and then we can continue our talk". Evelin smiled uncoupling from Judy.

"Okay, I will get us a big bag of popcorn in the meantime. Do you want some lemonade, too?"

"You betcha!" Evelin waved and went to the cashpoint. Judy walked over to the sales counter and was served immediately. It was surprisingly quiet for a Friday afternoon, only a few scattered Mammals lingered in the foyer. She bought a big bag of popcorn and a big carrot lemonade with two straws, walked to the entrance and waited for Evelin.

"We have two seats in row four in the middle, quite the best seats if you ask me". The younger sister beamed and hopped back to Judy.

"And what's the movie?"

"It's a sneak-preview, let's be surprised". She snickered and took a sip from the lemonade. "The movie will start in 15 minutes, let's go in".

"Right behind you, sis".

The hall was already darkened and some advertisements played on the big screen; both rabbits blinked a few times until they could read the small illuminated numbers beside the seat rows. The fourth row from above was theirs and it seemed nobody was sitting in it, yet. Evelin went first, searching for her seat numbers, and sat down, Judy followed and sat next to her.

"When was the last time you were in a movie theater?" Evelin asked, grabbing some popcorn.

"Oh, that must be at least four months ago". Judy thought about it. "When was that science fiction movie released where apes had those genetic mutations and became hairless superheroes?"

"Holy carrot, that was in January or February!" Evelin laughed. "You two have to do more fun things in your leisure time, you cannot always be working and saving the world, you know?" She winked at her older sister.

"Do you think the fact that we are working together is part of the problem?" Judy sighed, nibbling on some popcorn.

"I'm not even sure that there is a problem, Juju". Evelin smiled and put her arm around Judy's shoulders again. "I agree that it can be difficult to spend most of the day together, at home and also at work. But you two are really a great and dynamic duo at your job. Your relationship isn't a problem, quite the contrary: You are both complementing each other. And that's extending into your free time, too. When was the last time you two had a dispute and argued?"

Judy looked thoughtfully, then slowly replied. "I think, the last time we were spatting was with that Zuber driver making some snidely comment about us. He was frustrated about other mammals judging me because we were together in a relationship, and that he thought that I had a hard time because of him being a fox. I was really annoyed because…" Judy stopped midsentence, unsure what she should say. What was the reason she was annoyed back then?

"Wait a second, the last time you two were arguing is weeks ago and it was because he was worried about you?" Evelin raised her eyebrows. Judy nodded slowly and her sister smiled with a sigh. "That doesn't count as an argument, Juju. It just emphasized my impression of what a great couple you are".

"I'm at a loss what to do, Eve" Judy's ears were sadly hanging down. "I don't want to lose him, but I fear he slips away from me, even faster the more I struggle to keep him".

"Oh my dear, this wedding is starting to go right to your head". Evelin hugged her with a smile. "What's Nick's opinion about that?"

"That's the problem, I don't know!" Judy sighed. "He gives a hint from time to time about our collective future, but that's all. It is as if he always wants to have a loophole up his sleeves, just like the former hustler he was. Am I talking nonsense? I'm talking nonsense, right? Why can't you stop me from talking, Eve! We wanted to have some nice time together and now I'm crying my heart out in front of you. I'm so sorry…"

On the screen, another advertisement had started, an old-fashioned living room with a lot of wood paneling and 'Slow dancing in a burning room' was playing in the background. But Judy hardly noticed the screen and looked to Evelin with a slightly broken-hearted look.

"Oh, Juju…" Evelin tried to stay serious, but her nose was twitching furiously from excitement by now. Judy leaned again her sisters arm. "Well, we should talk about it after the movie…" She nodded with her face in the direction of the screen.

The scene was still showing the old living room, two armchairs were visible and someone was sitting in each one; but only their legs were visible, the rest was cut off by the camera. Judy turned her head around and paused. She thought that it was just another advertisement and didn't noticed that the movie had already begun. The living room seemed familiar; supposedly the movie was a sequel to a movie she already saw. Secondly, she noticed the song playing quietly in the background and she sighed moony; over half a year ago she and Nick danced together to exactly this song after the Gazelle concert in Zootopia – and they shared their very first kiss at the end. She let her mind wander for a moment and didn't listen to the dialogue at first. But there was something like a little itching in her head, that disturbed her from her daydreams.

"… was mistaken back then, and it's good to know that we can just sit together like this after all". A deep voice was talking, nothing too interesting so far. But now her daydream had vanished completely and with a quiet sigh she concentrated on the movie. Why did this scene seem so familiar? Was it an old movie and this was a retrospective? She took a paw full of popcorn, and reached for the lemonade.

"I'm so glad to hear you say that." A second voice, probably of the animal sitting on the other chair, was heard and Judy frowned a bit. This was as familiar to her as the first one. But wherefrom did she know this? Lost in thought she took a sip from the lemonade, but it would never reach her stomach…

"I have a big question in my head for you, but I'm not sure if I should ask". The second voice said a bit insecurely, but the first one replied easily.

"Just ask me straight, we are as close to each other as I am with any of my other children, so there is nothing you have to be ashamed of".

Judy nearly choked on the beverage; this voice… but this couldn't be…

"Well, it concerns your daughter". The second, still not visible actor said.

"So?"

"I'm…asking for your blessing to marry Judy".

"Mh… you really have some courage and honor to ask me for permission first, Nick".

Judy spat out the lemonade and coughed loudly, her eyes nearly poured out of her head and she gasped for air. Evelin sat grinning beside her, saying nothing but firmly patting her back. There was some amused mutter within the dark hall and it took a few moments for Judy's coughing fit to settle down; 'This has to be some kind of joke!' she thought and looked seeking help from Evelin who just snickered.

The camera view changed to a wide angle and both Nicholas Wilde and Stu Hopps now stood in front of their armchairs, shaking hands. Then Stu hugged Nick enthusiastically and patted him on his back:

"Good luck and a forehanded welcome to the family, my son".

Judy just stared at the screen, not realizing what was actually happening. Nick was now walking towards the camera, but it held its distance and walked in front of him, through the open door and the hallway – she now recognized their family's hallway! Nick looked to the left and right. The camera went around a few corners and finally entered the kitchen, immediately followed by Nick. It was an odd perspective to see Nick all the time from the front side. In the kitchen the scene slowly became a wide-angled view again, now showing her mother Bonnie and Nick walking towards her.

"Hello, Bonnie!" Nick said and waved with a smile.

"Hi darling, how can I help you?"

"Well, I hoped you could give me a hint where I can find Judy".

"Oh, she went to the cinema with Evelin half an hour ago!"

"Can you give me some directions to it?"

While Bonnie described the way from their home to the cinema in town, Judy still stared with a half-open mouth at the screen, unable to say or think anything right now. The whole situation was totally ridiculous, was she still at home in her bed and dreaming? She turned around to Evelin to ask her something but couldn't articulate herself at all. Evelin giggled with her paws clasped to her mouth to stay quiet; it was clear that she couldn't talk right now and had some great fun.

Judy turned her attention back to the screen. Nick now stood in front of the Hopps' house, looking down the road. Suddenly the screen went black and a second later a beep was heard, at the same time, it showed the current time in large numbers in the middle of the screen. Every second another beep was heard and then the camera view of Nick returned, this time in the left corner of the screen. He started to run and the camera panned with him, some music Judy couldn't recognize right now playing in the background. After another beep, another camera view appeared in the bottom left corner, showing Nick starting to run along the path and then past the camera. After another beep, Nick was now shown on the right half of the screen in portrait view, running towards the camera again, that held the distance. The whole cut scene reminded her of the famous TV series '24'. The two scenes on the left side faded into black and a new camera view was shown in the center, the one on the right side still showed Nick running along the road, Judy and Evelin drove along just half an hour ago. On the left side their main living room became visible with Bonnie and Stu sitting on the couch, facing the camera and talking to an interviewer behind the camera.

"The moment Judy stated, that Nick is her boyfriend and not just her partner, I was absolutely stunned and scared like hell!" Stu Hopps said, his wife nodded accordingly. "I mean, come on: A fox and a bunny? Back then, that was something I would never have imagined!"

"Oh, I noticed it the moment they entered our house", Bonnie said with a soft smile.

"You did?" Stu seemed to be really surprised.

"Yes, of course. A mother always knows what is going on regarding her kits".

"But this was so extraordinary!"

"Just like Judy!" Bonnie smiled and put her paws on top of Stu's. "The moment she introduced him to us I knew what was going on between them".

"Why didn't you say anything? I was caught totally by surprise by it and made an idiot out of myself!"

"I tried to, several times! But there just wasn't the right moment for it and I also didn't know what to think about it for myself, Stu".

"Nick and Judy really didn't have an easy start with us when coming out", Stu agreed with a sigh. "But obviously we raised Judy right, because she recognized what a really great and open-hearted character Nick is, way before we did".

"Yes, she did and I'm so glad to see them both happy together. Nothing is as satisfying as seeing your daughter being as happy as she is when Nick is around".

"Oh yeah!" Stu nodded eagerly. "And there is always enough room for another son in our family, isn't there?"

"You are so right". Bonnie closed her eyes, leaning her head against Stu's shoulder and Stu looked into the camera with a big and proud smile.

"All the best wishes for you two, Judy!" he winked and the camera faded to black. At the same time, the view showing Nick still running along the road zoomed in to fill the whole screen. The current time was displayed again at the bottom border with a beep every second.

Judy sniveled quietly, sitting on the edge of her seat and nibbled on her paws. The picture slid to the left, narrowing the view of Nick running and on the right side of the screen another small movie faded in, showing Evelin and Ralph this time sitting on the couch in their living room.

"I liked Nick the moment I first saw him!" Evelin grinned but Ralph interrupted her.

"The first time you saw him, he was sleeping in a hospital bed!"

"Well, okay, I liked him the very first moment Judy sent me photo of him. Even when she only talked about him as her friend and partner on the force, I guessed that there could be more. Regarding Judy I never thought too much about Nick being a fox, that wouldn't be an impediment for her".

"You mean because of all the little heart emoticons she put under each picture?" Ralph laughed.

"Exactly!" Evelin winked. "But he was also really cute when I met him. I was always worried Judy would end up as a crazy old maid!"

"It looks like she was just waiting for her prince charming. But as far as I know, you still checked him out".

"Of course, I had to! Don't get me wrong, it wasn't because of his species. But I take no risks when it comes to my best friends. And back then Judy was just freshwater; this fox could just take advantage of that".

"Someone taking advantage of Judy?" Ralph raised his eyebrows.

"Well, you know what I mean. Love makes you see everything through rose-colored glasses, even Judy isn't immune to that! I had to make sure that Nick really loves her and that he would treat Juju the way she deserves".

"It seems he passed your tests". Ralph smiled and Evelin nodded.

"With distinction! I don't know a lot of foxes, but I know a lot of rabbits who could take a leaf out of Nick's book! He is funny, makes every effort to make Judy happy and he really is romantic and a gentleman".

"I don't know about all those romantic things, but you can really have a great talk with him and he is always being helpful. We are great friends now and even our little siblings simply love him!"

The picture moved to the top and another video clip started right under it, showing over a dozen of their youngest siblings, all cheering and laughing, climbing on Nick who was playing with them on the ground. After a few seconds the clip faded again and Evelin and Ralph became the focus.

"It's really funny to talk with Judy or Nick individually about the respective other", Evelin snickered. "Every time you can be sure they will start to make insecure remarks about their relationship".

"I know! You just stand there, thinking: 'What are you talking about? I've never seen a sweeter couple, you two are made for each other! Why are you so insecure about it?'" Ralph eagerly replied.

"Exactly! When Nick last talked to me and said that he will finally ask her to marry her, I cut a caper!" Then she looked directly into the camera, and the view zoomed in on her face. Now a fullscreen-Evelin was visible and talking directly to Judy: "Don't goof this, sis! And before you faint, just hold my paw". She pointed in the direction she was now sitting for real and winked. The camera zoomed out again, and Ralph started to talk again.

"A fox being in a relationship with a rabbit seems to be strange at first. But crazy is always something normal with our family. Nick proved to be a great bro and I'm proud to call him part of our family soon! Our best wishes for you two, Judy!"

The picture faded to black again and a few other siblings were shown sitting on the couch. They also talked about how they got to know Nick and really liked him now, some told funny stories and some just wished them the best. Judy sobbed, laughed and wept, all in close succession, hardly able to identify all her siblings because the tears blurred her vision. All along the way Nick was always visible on the screen in one or two of the corners, running his way along the road to the town. He had nearly reached the first houses, when a last clip became visible on the screen, showing Judy's brother Joshua sitting on the front-porch. Judy paused and was a bit afraid of what he would say. It was no secret that Joshua was against their relationship from the very first second. She even fought with him the day they came out as a couple on a visit, resulting in a horrible accident that nearly injured their little sister Amie, but Nick prevented the accident and was seriously injured himself. Joshua always left the house when she and Nick came for a visit and their relationship was quite frosty since then.

"I really was a dork when it came to Nick". Joshua talked calmly, his looks downcast onto his paws. "He is a fox, and I never even tried to see behind this; he never even gave me any reason to treat him like I did. But still I gave it my best to make him feel unwelcomed at our house and in our family". His voice sounded regretful and finally Joshua raised his head. "But nevertheless he always greeted me, was never bearish or argued with me, in spite of everything I did and said and it took me over half a year to recognize that this wasn't arrogance at all, but he still tried to just be friendly. It took me so long to recognize him as being generous, indulgent and forgiving, instead of being malicious or calculating. He really loves Judy, and who am I to object him for it? We all love Judy, she is so pure and endearing that she always spawns the very best from everyone and why should I doubt her judgment? I was a poor brother to her, causing her so much emotional pain. Nick would never do such a thing and I'm so thankful for that! So finally… all that is left for me to do now is… ask for your twos forgiveness; you are both part of my family and I wish you both the very best for your common future!"

Judy was so touched by this last statement, that Evelin had to put her arms around Judy's shoulders again to ease her. Sobbing and wiping the back of her paw over her eyes, Judy smiled widely. In the meantime, Nick was running through the streets of Bunnyburrow. When the tear-stained rabbit noticed that he was just a few streets away, she laughed and started to sob again. In front of a shop Nick suddenly stopped. A few other camera views with different perspectives faded in, all together with the well-known clock and the beep every second. It was a clothes shop and Nick entered it. While in one corner of the screen the front of the shop was still visible, waiting for Nick to reappear, another clip faded in. Judy clasped her paws over her mouth when she recognized the bullpen of district one in Zootopia.

"Officers Judith Hopps and Nicholas Wilde…" it was Chief Bogo speaking. "None of my other Officers are as obstreperous as them – and nearly none of them are as successful as them. That summarizes them quite well. Could you imagine a little rabbit as a cop? Or even a fox? I couldn't! And I'm mistaken very rarely. But this time I'm really glad that I was". He straightened and looked directly to the camera. "Hopps. Wilde. You are being put on paid leave for a full week. And I should warn you, that your colleagues are planning a big surprise party for you. So you'd better not show up early!"

When Chief Bogo finished, Nick left the clothes shop; he wore an expensive looking suite made of white silk, a white shirt and a black bow-tie; he straightened the tie, winking into the camera: "Bow ties are cool!"

Judy laughed quietly, Nick was hinting with that quote to her favorite TV series and the main actor she was always gushing for. Then he walked with large steps along the road, the camera following him again. When he stopped in front of a jewelry shop and entered it, another clip started playing on the other side of the screen, showing an elderly but really good looking vixen sitting on a sofa – Nicks mother!

"I always wanted only the best for Nick. We really had a hard time and not everything went as planned. Every day I prayed that nothing really bad would happen to him, and a guardian angel would watch him. Who'd have thought that such a cute little rabbit would be his angel!" Nick's mother smiled and Judy, half laughing and half sobbing shouted not very loud:

"Don't call me cute!"

Some quiet laughter was heard in the cinema; it was not until now that Judy again realized where they were and that they were not watching the movie alone. She immediately dropped her ears and sank into her seat, holding Evelin's paw while still weeping quietly, but with a smile.

"Judy, you are all a mother could wish for her only son. You are intelligent, quick-witted, funny, and even really beautiful. No mother could have a better daughter than you. It's always hard for a mother to let her son go, but you removed the burden for me. I wish you two all the best!"

The clip faded and Nick left the jewelry shop. When he walked around the corner a second camera view showed that he was just about twenty meters away from the cinema. Judy's heart was palpitating and she sniveled quietly, holding Evelin's paw with an even firmer grip. Nick jumped fleet-footed up the few stairs to the entrance, the camera walked in front of him again.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…" Judy whispered in a unnaturally high-pitched voice, her whole body trembled from excitement now. She watched how Nick walked past the cashier and past the popcorn counter; then stopped suddenly and walked slowly to the beaver behind the counter.

"One small popcorn, please". He said with a smile, just as if he were going to watch a movie. Some common elevator music played in the background, the beaver gave him the popcorn and he paid with a few coins. Turning around he flipped some popcorn into the air and caught it with his mouth, smiling satisfied.

"Dumb fox!" Judy snickered with tears in her eyes. When he started walking again, the song "Crazy something normal" started to play. The camera panned to the entrance door of their hall, Nick stepped in front of it and open it with a push; for a moment the screen turned all black because of the lack of light, then it adapted to the low-light condition and Nick was visible again, passing through the door and the same moment she saw it on the big screen, she could hear the door open in the back and someone entering the hall. The camera footage seems to be a bit more shaky now, obviously they had seen a pre-recorded movie-clip until now, but this was a live-footage. Judy whimpered from nervousness and didn't dare to turn her head around but starred at the screen. Nick walked slowly along the rows of seats and when he reached the fourth row he stopped, the camera panned and two small rabbits were visible in the middle of the row. Nick had a big smile on his face while walking along tier four, slowly approaching Judy from the left. She still couldn't do anything but stare at the screen, not risking to look to the side. When Nick was just a few steps away, she saw Ralph walking backward and holding a camera in his paws in the tier in front of them. On the screen Nick now stood right beside her, but she could also see him out of the corner of her eye. The light in the theatre hall slowly got brighter and while starring at the screen she saw how Nick got down on one knee in this gorgeous white suite. When he started to speak, his voice sounded warm and deep:

"Judith Laverne Hopps…"

Judy couldn't move, she had suddenly froze with panic. Evelin finally poked her with her elbow and Judy twitched. She slipped from her seat and turned around to Nick in slow-motion. His green eyes twinkled like emeralds and he was holding a small black box in his paw.

"Sweetcheeseandcarrots…" Judy squeaked in a high pitched voice again and put her paws in front of her mouth, barely able to control her tremble or even her palpitating heart, being giddy with excitement.

"I love you more than I could express with just words. You are the one who completes me and I want to spend the rest of my life with you". He slowly opened the small box in his paws. "Will you marry me?"

In Judy's head was a storm of emotions, preventing her to think straight. Thousands of pictures showed in front of her mind's eye: All those beautiful moments she shared with Nick, all the little surprises he made for her from time to time, the interviews and statements of her friends and family she saw just a few moments ago… Judy lowered her gaze and the second she looked into Nick's bright green eyes, all those voices and pictures in her head vanished. There was nothing left in her mind but the picture of Nick, kneeling in front of her and looking up to her with those eyes and a happy smile; a warm and intimate feeling of propinquity, faith and love. She slowly started to sob again and blinked some tears away, then she pulled her paws down a bit and whispered with her happiest smile: "Yes! Yes, I definitely want to marry you!"

The whole cinema started to cheer while Nick took the golden ring from the box and slowly put it onto Judy's finger. Judy started to laugh and sob again and finally her knees gave in and Nick caught her with both arms. She could hardly put her arms around his neck, her whole body was still trembling with excitement; Nick held her firmly and they shared a long and fierce kiss for everyone to see on the big screen. The refrain of "Crazy something normal" started again, and Judy just clenched him. The whole crowd applauded and cheered for several minutes, giving standing ovations.

When Judy finally released Nick and her eyes travelled over all those people sitting in the cinema, she started crying again: Her parents and most of her siblings were there, a few of their co-workers including Chief Bogo and Clawhauser, Gideon, the whole Croach family, Mister and Mrs. Otterton, Fru Fru and many more. She had no idea how they all managed to get into this theater and how she didn't recognize any of them. But this feeling was all just overwhelming; Ralph was still filming and Nick and Judy's face was in full screen-size on the big screen. Evelin grinned at her with an even bigger smile and winked slyly at her older sister.

"Sly fox", She whispered to Nick with a giggle.

"Oh, you rabbits are so emotional". He winked at her and Judy let herself fall into his arms.

"Uh-hu".


	17. 2x06 - Preparations and Disconcertments

_"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." Dr. Seuss_

* * *

Judy was in a state of agitation, sitting next to Nick in a cinema chair. There were music videos playing in the cinema hall and some beavers brought beverages and snacks for everyone. Their guests were chatting and frequently some came to the newly engaged couple to congratulate personally. Evelin was holding two glasses of carrot juice and sat next to Judy.

"Hey, Juju." She grinned, handing her one of the glasses.

"Thanks, Eve." The rabbit sniveled, rubbing her nose with the back of her paw. "Since when did you two plan this?"

Nick and Evelin shared a quick look and both snickered. It was Nick who was speaking first.

"Oh, just a few weeks ago. It was rather difficult to have so many animals involved but everyone keeping it a secret. Especially from you." He winked. "And when Evelin and Sven planned to marry this weekend, the temptation was too big to just ignore it."

"I was so excited that I should accompany you to the cinema, and when Sven and I planned to marry this weekend, this was just the perfect moment to get you here without raising your suspicion." Evelin smiled widely.

"Well, I really didn't suspect anything. If anything I thought this whole wedding-thing was scarring to Nick." Judy smiled defeated.

"Oh, it is!" Nick nodded with a serious look, nipping on his own glass of sparkling wine.

"At least we can party each other's bachelor party today with all of our friends!" Evelin grinned. "I hope you haven't forgotten about our little deal, sis. I'm still going to be your chief bridesmaid on Sunday, right?"

"Of course you a… wait, what?!" Judy nearly let her glass fall down, jumped off her chair and starred to Evelin.

"And it wasn't even my idea." Nick quietly laughed. "When Sven and you, Eve, generously suggested a double wedding, I didn't hesitate too long. I think it is a great idea!"

"What?!" Judy quickly turned her head around to Nick, now starring at him disbelieving.

"It will be really fun, and everything is prepared anyway so we can seize the moment!"

"WHAT?!" Judy now turned again quickly to Evelin again. Her unnatural high-pitched voice let a few faces turn to them.

"Anyway, can you be both, bride and bridesmaid?" Nick asked curiously and Judy turned back to him again, this time just staring with an open mouth and unable to articulate herself.

"Sure thing, why not? We had this already a few times in the past." Evelin answered contemplatively.

Judy was on the brink to fall in a faint; she rolled her eyes and tried to get hold of Nick's arm, stumbling. The fox quickly grabbed her on her shoulders and propped her.

"Hey, everything okay, Judy?" he asked worried and directed her back on her seat.

"You are joking, right?" She looked at Nick with a bit of panic in her eyes. "Right?" She turned to Evelin, but only got a huge smile as response.

"Oh, I'm definitely not joking regarding my … sorry, our wedding!" she hugged Judy and gave her a kiss on each cheek. "Relax, sister. The most nerve-stretching are the weeks and days before the wedding. You only have one day left of that and everything is already prepared."

Judy couldn't talk. She couldn't even think at the moment; her whole body was malfunctioning right now. Nick's arm was about to enfold her around the shoulders and she just toppled over to him.

"I think this was a bit too much." Evelin snickered and Nick smiled, nodding still a bit worried. But Judy sprung off her seat suddenly, grabbing a glass of champagne from a tablet a beaver was carrying past their tier. She emptied the glass with one slug, Evelin and Nick watching her amused.

Nick had planned this evening for nearly two months. Actually he wasn't in such a hurry to marry her only two days after his proposal. But Evelin thought it would be just perfect to have a double wedding with her sister. And when she offered him to share her special day with them, he eagerly agreed. And why should they even wait a few weeks or months to host their own wedding? It seemed a really great idea and both families, Sven's and Evelin's, were agreeing that it would be great to make it a double wedding. But that also meant, that Judy was thrown in at the deep end now. And Nick didn't want her to feel uncomfortable and would defer their wedding without hesitation if Judy was unsure about it.

Judy felt overpowered with emotions. Nicks proposal was really a great surprise and it was outdoing anything that she ever heard off someone had done. True to the motto of their song 'Crazy something normal' he always tried to surprise her with crazy little things, like the scavenger hunt for their six-month anniversary. But his movie proposal in the cinema really raised the bar, even for his standards. Of course she wants to marry him, she was waiting for this moment for quite a while; but was caught totally off guard today. And even before she could really stomach the news, Nick and Evelin throw her a curve – a double wedding together with Evelin; in barely two days. She was arguing with herself in her head: If she could have planned all of this ahead, it would be a fantastic idea to have a double wedding with her best friend and sister. Wasn't she even a bit envy about Evelin's wedding the whole time, because Nick seemed so indifferent about it? For a while she even considered to propose to Nick during or after the wedding. During all those preparations the last days she realized that she loved this fox so much and didn't want to wait another year or more for him to finally propose to her; but on the other hand, what if Nick wasn't as fond as she was? She was thinking about this right before she watched the movie and now she was finally engaged with Nick and couldn't be any happier about it. Even more, they would be married in less than 48 hours; and not just a quick'n'dirty Zoo-Vegas wedding, but a really big one with all of her family, her friends and colleagues, and together with Evelin. It was just perfect and exceled her most venturous dreams and fantasies; she just was in need of a few calm minutes to ease down. But the sparkling wine would do for now: She grabbed one glass off the tablet the waiter was carrying along her tier and emptied it with one slug.

The alcohol had a quick effect and she felt immediately how her panic and stress decreased. Judy blinked a few times and looked to Nick, who was watching her a bit worried. Did he have said something to her? She couldn't remember; but he looked like having a question. "You crazy fox…" she smiled and grabbed his paw, kissing it softly.

"If this is all too much, Judy…" he started but she just started to laugh.

"Oh, you betcha!" she realized his puzzled look and continued. "I have no idea how you managed to keep this all a secret with a few hundred rabbits involved, but I will not let you retract now."

Nick grinned at her: "I didn't intend to retract, but I was worried you could change your mind."

"Dumb fox!" Judy snickered and jumped against Nicks chest, hugging him firmly. Evelin still snickered and Judy turned around to face her. "And you, sis!" She let go off of her fiancé and planted herself in front of the still grinning Evelin, but then couldn't find any words.

"I love you too, Juju." Evelin finally said and they mutually hugged each other with laugher.

The next day Judy woke up around eleven o'clock with a headache. She tried to remember the last night; they were out partying until three in the morning, or was it even later? Her low tolerance against alcohol made it difficult for her to remember how much she really drank. There was one glass of champagne she drank in one go; and she touched glassed with quite a lot of friends and siblings, nipping on her drink from time to time. But she felt as when she had drunk a whole bottle of champagne all by herself. With a groan she put her pillow over the head but couldn't lock out the pounding inside.

Judy slowly turned around and get out of the bed. She switched the light in the room on and winced immediately. She slid her feet through the thick carpet and viewed herself in the mirror. The only thing she was wearing was her new silver ring on her left paw. She examined it with a smile; it was a plain ring made out of silver with little ornament engravings. With the ring the realization sank in: She was really engaged with Nick now! Then another realization came with it: She would marry him; not some day in the future but tomorrow. The thought gave her the heebie-jeebies and she giggled. It all felt so unreal, just like a dream; but she didn't want to wake up in that case. While still looking moonily on her ring someone cleared his throat behind her. Startled she turned around.

"Nick!" she breathed a sigh of relief. The fox grinned at her and stood off the small armchair he was sitting in.

"Hey, Judy." He said with his deep voice while making a few steps in her direction. He was wearing a green pullover and grey pants and hold his arms up for her. "How are you, my little party bunny?"

Judy grimaced a bit but then smiled and leaned against his body, putting her arms around him. "Like someone surprised me with a proposal, a wedding tomorrow and a big party with too much alcohol."

"Headache?" Nick was speaking quietly, stroking with his paw over her head and ears.

"Uh-hu."

"Poor little bunny." He snickered. "But as I said, I always wanted to seduce the maid of honor." The fox gave her a short kiss between the ears and stroked over her bare back.

"You not only got the maid of honor, but also the bride. I think you got more than you asked for." She mumbled but then giggled.

Nick let her go and squatted, smiling at her. "I have everything I could ever ask for right now."

Judy smiled and gave him a short kiss; but then reconsidered and gave him a long and affectionate kiss, putting her arms around his neck. "I nearly abandoned hope that you would ever ask me." She grinned.

Nick put his right paw above his heart and looked shocked. "But madam! How dare you think that?"

Judy snickered and beat him softly on the arm. "Dumb fox."

He gave her another kiss and Judy sighed pleased. "I think you should dress up and maybe we are on time for lunch." Nick winked at her. "I already missed breakfast because I couldn't get my eyes of you."

"How long were you watching me?" Judy asked curiously while searching for their bag with fresh clothes.

"Oh, just three hours or so."

"You little pervert!" Judy stuck out her tongue at him but Nick just laughed. Someone was knocking quietly at her door. While Judy was slipping one of Nicks big shirts over Nick said "Come in."

Bonnie Hopps was opening the door and when she saw both awake she smiled. "Oh, good, you are finally awake. We are having lunch in about two hours, so I thought you two may want some waffles as a late breakfast." She winked and then looked at Judy. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Judy smiled but her nose twitched a little. Bonnie grinned at her.

"Well, you should drink a glass or two of water. Your head should get better then soon." The older rabbit turned around to Nick. "For you some coffee, I guess?"

"Thank you Bon, but I will stick to tea, too." Nick smiled.

When her mother was gone again, Judy sighed and walked over to the mirror to brush her fur. "How much champagne did I drink exactly yesterday?"

"Evelin and I tried to stop you after your third glass, but we saw you with at least two more." He could hardly manage to stop grinning and walked over to her, taking the brush from her paws and continue the brushing.

Judy grimaced a bit: "Did I do something… dumb?" she looked at him through the mirror.

"That depends how you define 'dumb'." Nick grinned and Judy let her shoulders and ears sank. "Your spontaneous singing performance of 'Try everything' was definitely not bad at all.

"Sweet cheese and carrots…"

"Don't worry, Ralph filmed most of it." Nick winked and Judy put her paws before her mouth.

"He didn't!"

"Oh yes, he did!" Nick laughed. "And Clawhauser did a great dancing performance to it, you two should go on tour with it."

Judy blushed and with a quiet whine she turned around and buried her face into Nicks' pullover. He patted her back and smiled softly.

"Come on, it was really funny and everyone had a good time." When Judy didn't react, Nick suggested: "Should I carry you into the kitchen or are you strong enough to go on your own?"

With a short chunter Judy linked her arm with Nick's and they slowly walked to the door and then toward the small kitchen near their room.

"I cannot believe, that we are really engaged." Judy grinned while looking at her new ring.

"Don't worry, carrots, not for long. Tomorrow at this time …"

"You are really totally crazy, aren't you?" Judy snickered. "What if I would have refused your proposal?"

"I would have looked a proper Charlie and there would have been some awkward silence with all those guests around." Nick shrugged. "Apart from that I would possibly still be exasperatedly getting drunk." He unwittingly hugged her a bit tighter.

"Hey, don't worry, everything was just perfect." Judy smiled, still a bit tired. They finally sat down in the kitchen, getting served by Bonnie despite Nick's objections.

While eating some waffles, Nick turned around to Judy. "You should get dressed after this, we have to drive to the city; Mister Charmander is waiting for us." He winked and Judy raised an eyebrow.

"Mister Charmander, the name is telling me something. Who is he?"

"He is the owner of the jewelry. We have yet to choose some wedding rings."

"Cheese and crackers!" Judy gasped. "I didn't even think about that. And I didn't think of a vow, too! Do we have our own introit? And who will be your best man? And I need to nominate a few more bridesmaids beside Evelin! And…"

"Wooh, wooh, wooh, relax carrots!" Nick grinned from ear to ear. "We have the whole day to resolve all open questions. But let's do it one at a time. And currently we are having a late breakfast." He put his paw onto hers and stroked the back of it with his thumb. Judy took a deep breath.

"Oh, Nick. You have totally overrun me with this wedding, I'm just worried that something is going to go awry, you know?"

"Everything will be fine, just let it go."

"I wish I would have your assurance!" Judy laughed.

"You are the one who inspire me with confidence." He winked and grabbed another waffle.

* * *

When Nick and Judy entered the small jewelry shop, the owner – a black cat with a few white spots – greeted them happily. "Hello Miss Hopps, Mister Wilde!"

"Hello, Mister Charmander!" Nick replied and went straight to the counter with the rings; then he turned around to Judy. "Okay, I have already chosen a few of my favorites, but to start with I want you to get an overview and select your own favorites unaffected."

Judy smiled: "Okay, that may take a while then." She winked at him and Nick snickered quietly.

There was a broad range of rings, some plain gold or silver, some with small gems and even a few with big rocks. Some gemstones were placed isolated on the rings, some went all around and there were even a few assembling small figures. Judy looked a bit unsure and finally asked the cat:

"There are no price tags on the rings?"

"Oh, I removed them before you entered the shop at his command." The jeweler nodded towards Nick, who was looking at some cufflinks a few meters apart and smiled. "You should not be influenced by the prices."

Judy sighed and wanted to object, but abstained. She knew perfectly that a discussion with Nick about this now would lead to nothing; he was at least as stubborn as she was when he set his mind on something. The rabbit smiled softly and nodded to Mister Charmander. "Okay then."

"If I may suggest something: You should first make a decision what material and therefore color the ring should be."

"Mhh, I'm a bit unsure. Normally I'm not wearing a lot of jewelry, you know?" Judy smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Do you want the ring to be dashy?" The cat got a plain ring made of gold from a socket and when Judy hold her paw towards him, he slipped it on it. "Your grey fur has a bold contrast with the gold, so it is clearly visible. Or you could go for something subtler in silver or platinum." He took another ring made of silver and slipped it on the finger beneath the golden ring.

"Is this silver or platinum?" Judy asked and considered her paw from different angles.

"This one is made of silver, it's slightly darker than platinum." He grabbed a third ring in a considerably lighter grey and slipped it on the same finger than the one made of silver. "You have a rather dark grey fur on your paws, that makes the one made of platinum better visible. But at the same time it's not as bold as a golden ring."

Judy was looking closely on all three rings, holding her paw in all kinds of different directions and lights. Nick strolled beneath and watched her smiling.

"Mh, I think the one in silver is too similar to my fur. What do you think, Nick?"

Nick took her paw with the rings in his and had a close look at all three rings. "Well…" he finally said, "I think out of those three the one in silver is on the third place."

Judy nodded and slide the silver ring off her paw. "I think the same." She gave it back to Mister Charmander who put it back to its socket.

"Maybe you should try one ring in white gold, this one is rather dark and reddish." Nick suggested and a few moments later Judy had two other golden rings on her paw, each a bit brighter than the one before.

"I really like the white gold, but it's a bit too showy." Judy said her thoughts out aloud. Nick chuckled quietly.

"Maybe we should combine both materials then; a ring made of platinum but with a light golden accent?" Mister Charmander interjected, trying to be helpful. "Or inversely, a golden ring with some platinum accents to soften it." He walked over to another showcase and took a black drawer from it. He put it down in front of Judy with about a dozen rings made of platinum with different golden appliqués or adornments. Then he took a second drawer and put it beneath the first one; this time with rings made of gold with platinum appliqués and adornments.

Judy groaned and rolled her eyes. "Those are all beautiful! How should I ever decide which one I want to wear for the rest of my life?"

Nick laughed and put his paws on her shoulders. "No need to hurry, just relax and take your time." He started to knead her shoulders and Judy sighed, but smiled softly.

After spending over three hours in the jewelry shop, Judy finally had reduced her selection to two rings: The first was composed from two parts of the same size, one in platinum and one in white gold. They were separated by a small rille and a single white diamond was worked into the surface. The other one was mainly brushed platinum and with polished rilles on both sides. The platinum was separated by a small golden ring after a third, with a rille in it. There was also a white diamond worked into the brushed platinum surface. Judy viewed both rings on her paw and finally turned her head around to Nick who was leaning on the counter a few steps away to not affect her decision.

"Okay, sly fox. I think I have found my two favorites. What do you think?" She presented him her paw with both rings. Nick straighten up and made a few steps in her direction, curiously looking at her paw. After a short moment he started to grin, then snickered quietly. "What's so funny?" Judy was exhausted and raised her eyebrows.

"Nothin', carrots…" he snickered, then took his phone from his pocket, scrolled through a few photos then showed it to Judy. On the photo were three rings, one with not two but even three layers in different colors. The other two rings were exactly the same she was currently wearing.

Judy stared at the photo, her muzzle twitching slightly. Finally, she started to laugh and leaned her head against Nick's body. "I don't know what to say."

"You two are really complementing." Mister Charmander said with a wink.

"You two have hatched this, don't you? It's a hustle!" Judy grinned to Nick, who gave her a kiss on her forehead between the eyes.

"I solemnly swear, that's no trick at all, carrots!" Nick laughed. "Okay, which one do you like better?"

"Oh, no!" Judy gestured with her paws averting. "This decision are we making together!" she winked, took of both rings and hold them towards Nick. "You have to try them on, too." Nick and Mister Charmander both grinned at Judy. "What?!" she asked perplexed.

"These are both female rings, there is a male counterpart for them. Just a second…" The cat walked to another showcase and came back with two rings in his paw, both slightly bigger and a bit wider as the female versions. "Here you are, Mister Wilde."

Nick put each ring on a paw and hold them to Judy. It took the rabbit just a short look until she pointed to his left paw. "This one, definitely. The other one with the golden half is stinging with your fur color." She stated and Nick considered his paw with the ring made of brushed platinum and the thin golden ring in the middle of it. After a few seconds he started to smile and nodded approving.

"This one it is then."

Judy made a small leap into the air and grinned from ear to ear, looking at her own ring on her left paw. "Holy carrot, I cannot believe we have really our own wedding rings!"

"Do you want keep those white diamonds in the edging?" Mister Charmander interrupted her cheering.

"Are there even more things to decide?" Judy sighed and looked incredulous to the cat and to Nick.

"Only if you want a different gem color." The shopkeeper smiled softly.

"Well…" Nick coughed slightly and Judy turned her head to him. "When I may suggest something?" he smiled to Judy who eagerly nodded.

"Of course! Everything that shortens our decision is welcomed!" she grinned.

"Could you show my impatient fiancée the diamonds I selected yesterday?" Nick winked to Mister Charmander who nodded with a smile and went to the backroom. A short moment later he came back with a black tray. On it were two small diamonds, one with a light purple color and one with a light green one – each resembling the color of Nick's respectively Judy's eyes.

While Judy's eyes were growing wide Nick explained: "I thought about getting the purple diamond into my ring and the green diamond into your ring. They are resembling the eye color of the respective other, so when we take a look at those diamonds it's like looking into each other's eyes…" Nick couldn't really finish his explanation when Judy turned around, hugged him with her arms around his neck and gave him a passionate kiss.

"Yes. Definitely yes!" she beamed and Nick smiled.

"Okay, it's a bit ambitious, but I think I will finish fitting them into the rings today." The cat smiled and, while Judy kissed Nick again, added: "That's leaving just one last question open."

Judy's ears drooped and she quietly moaned, but Nick just laughed. "The engraving, carrots."

"Cheese and crackers." Judy sighed.

"Nice one." Nick snickered but Judy rolled her eyes. "What do you think, each of us is writing an individual saying down on a piece of paper without showing it. So we keep a little surprise for tomorrow, what do you think?"

Judy thought about it for a moment. "Hm, sounds good. But I want to have our wedding date on both, and our names." She turned around to the cat. "Or would this be too long?"

"That depends on the rest of the text. Maybe you two gave me your sayings and I will try to fit it together with your names and the date of tomorrow. If it's too long, I can abbreviate your names and only put your initials in it."

"That's fine with me!" Judy replied and looked to Nick who nodded.

"Yepp, sounds good."

"Well, here is a notepad and a pen for you both, you can sit down at the table over there and I will prepare everything in the meantime."

Judy and Nick each took a notepad and a pen, and sat down; each thinking about a short saying for the respective other.

* * *

When Judy and Nick finally left the jewelry it was already afternoon. They walked arm in arm along the main street and Judy leant her head against Nicks arm.

"Do you already know who will be your best man?"

"I tried to persuade Finnick, but to no avail. He is still reproaching me for getting to the force." Nick shrugged and Judy scowled.

"Any other idea?" she asked.

"Well, I have done a bit of research. The best man may be the brother or best friend of the bridal couple. And if one of the groom's friend is mainly responsible for the couple getting together, it's some kind of gratitude for it. He is also responsible for the wedding preparations. And in some regions it's common that the best man is the body guard of the bridal couple."

"The body guard?" Judy raised her eyebrows.

"Well, if I want to have a body guard to safe me from all those rabbits during the wedding, I think our Chief would be an ideal cast." Nick winked and Judy started to laugh.

"That would be a sight for the gods! Do you want to ask him?" she grinned.

"He already refused because of his lack of time. But he will be one of my groomsman. Together with Clawhauser and Emmitt Otterton. They all played a big role in our first case."

Judy nodded. "Great selection, particularly seeing Clawhauser and the Chief in a suite will be a highlight." She snickered. "And who will be your best man now?"

"You have to promise not to laugh!"

"I cannot promise to not laugh if I don't know what you are going to say, foxtrot." Judy winked at him and nudged his side with her elbow.

"Your brother Ralph, carrots."

Judy stopped and looked incredulously up to him. "No way!" She really tried not to giggle. "A fox choosing a rabbit as his best man for his wedding with another rabbit?" Judy clasped her paws over her mouth but Nick could still hear her chuckle.

"He was, besides Evelin, the very first of your brothers who supported us and he really is a great friend by now!" Nick started to defend himself. "Also he was a great help during all those proposal and wedding preparations. And additionally I have no siblings, so why not choose one of yours, you have begad enough!"

Judy still snickered, but linked her arms with Nick's again. "I think you made a great decision. And it really means a lot to me that you not only get along with my family but that you became a vital part of it."

Nick smiled, "What about your bridesmaids? I already knew that Evelin will be your maid of honor, of course. But did you already decided who will be your other bridesmaids?"

"I already talked to Jenny, River and Clara and they are more than happy." Judy smiled moonily.

"Clara is your litter sister, Jenny and River…" Nick was intensely thinking, going through all of Judy's siblings in his mind's eye. As a former cons man it was essential to memorize even the smallest details and retrieve them whenever necessary. He had created his own memory palace for this purpose but there were over three hundreds of Judy's siblings and a lot of them look quite similar, too. "Jenny is the brown one with the black spotted ears and two years younger than Evelin." He finally continued. "And River is the only girl in her litter that came nearly five years after yours, and she has a rather light brownish-grey fur color."

Judy grinned, tiptoed and gave Nick a kiss on his cheek. "It's always fascinating to me how you could remember all my siblings' names, even more because you rarely met them."

"I would do anything for love…" Nick started to sing the first line of the world-famous song by Meatloaf.

Judy snickered and started to sing a line from another song: "You'd think that people would've had enough of silly love songs."

This time it was Nick who stopped and looked impressed down to Judy, who just grinned; she rarely sang along with him. He started to smile and looked around acted: "I look around me and I see it isn't so."

Judy started to sing another line from yet another song: "Love makes us act like we are fools. Throw our lives away, for one happy day!"

Nick slyly grinned at her, got on one knee and spread his arms while singing: "I… will always love you!"

Judy nibbled on her lips, Nick was really a great singer and it gave her goosebumps hearing him belting out those world-famous verse from Hitney Whouston. She replied rather quiet and with a soft voice the last verses from the song 'Your song': "How wonderful life is"

Nick joined in with her: "Now you're in the world."

A few passersby grinned at them and some even clapped. Judy blushed but Nick just embraced her and gave her a passionate kiss.

Suddenly Judy giggled and Nick looked inquiring. "What's the matter, carrots?"

"I had just remembered Chief Bogo on my second day at work. He gave me a philippic for arresting Duke Weaselton; and one thing he said back then was: 'Life is not some kind of musical where all your dreams come true'. Well, I think he was wrong."

Nick laughed. "I never thought about being the main actor in your personal musical!"

She smiled and replied: "I really love it when you sing. You have such a deep and velvety voice. Maybe you should make an application for one of these casting shows!"

"You mean ' _Zootopia's greatest talents_ '?" Nick waved the idea aside. "I'm quite comfortable to only sing for you from time to time, but staying out of the spotlights." He smirked. "And by the way, this was the second time you sang voluntary in public in just two days."

"This must be you and the upcoming wedding. I'm feeling like I'm high on drugs since yesterday." Judy giggled and Nick gave her another kiss.

"That's my plan, making you addicted to me so you will never leave me!" he winked.

"Mission accomplished." She grinned and they started to walk again along the road.

* * *

It was about eight o'clock in the evening when Evelin and Judy sat together in Evelin's room.

"Oh dear, I'm so excited!" Evelin said while brushing through Judy's fur.

"I hear ya!" Judy snickered. "At least you could accustom yourself to the thought of being married tomorrow. I on the other hand…"

"You've not missed much, sis." Evelin grinned.

"Do you ever thought about making a drawback?" Judy asked sheepishly, but Evelin gave her a pat on the back of her head.

"Don't you dare! You are not getting cold feet now, are you?"

Judy hesitated just a split second. "N-no…"

"Sweet cheese and crackers." Evelin gasped, grabbed Judy by her arm and turned her around to face her. "Are you having doubts? About Nick?" Evelin looked a bit worried. "Or have we rushed you into this short-term wedding too much?"

"It's not because of Nick, I'm so in love with him I cannot verbalize it adequately."

"It's all going too fast, isn't it?" Evelin asked and when Judy didn't answer she nodded. "You like to plan and think everything through, I know. But be reassured, that nobody will be angry with you if you feel queasy with this wedding. As long as you are my maid of honor everything will be fine, and we find a new date for your wedding; maybe in spring. Nobody wants to press you into marrying tomorrow, neither Nick nor me nor our parents."

Judy smiled softly to her younger sister. "Hey, don't worry. I'm just flustered, maybe a bit in panic." Evelin replied her smile and Judy put her paw on her sis' arm. "But I will marry Nick tomorrow, come what may! And the two of us will be the greatest brides Bunnyburrow has ever seen!"

"That's the right attitude!" Evelin grinned and gave her one of two glasses with champagne, and hold the other one in the air. "To us, and the poor wretches that will be our husbands in a few hours!"

* * *

Nick was sitting alone in the dark kitchen, looking out of the window into the night. He winced a bit when someone put a paw on his shoulders; when he turned his head around, Stu Hopps stand right beside him with a soft smile. "Hey, Stu."

"Hey, Nick." Then after a few moments. "Enjoying the last few hours of freedom?" Stu winked and wanted to brighten the mood, and Nick smiled a bit.

"I was just thinking about my Dad. He would be really glad that I'm going to marry tomorrow."

"He wouldn't be indignant about you marrying a…" Stu was hesitating; he didn't know too much about Nick's deceased father. "…you know, a rabbit?"

Nick raised his eyebrows then shook his head. "No, that would not bother him. He always was a libertine, always trying to improve the relationship between predator and prey. I think he would be even proud about me and Judy." He smiled.

"You miss him, hm?"

"Currently more than ever." Nick nodded slowly and turned his gaze back to the window, looking into the dark. "I had to fend for myself rather early, and even while my mother tried to be there for me, I gave her a hard time. Never was a family-oriented mammal, and now I'm in doubt if I could be a good husband and father."

"The fact that you are worried about it, and all I know about you, proves to me that you will be a really great husband for my beloved daughter. Otherwise I would have never give you my blessings for the wedding." He patted on Nicks' shoulders and smiled: "And as far as I can tell from observing you with my kits, I also think you will be a great father, too."

"Thank you, Stu." Nick replied his smile. "This means a lot to me."

Stu walked over to a wall cupboard and took two glasses and a bottle of Whisky out of it. "This is a really good one, I bought it on the same day when Judy was born." Stu said while pouring some whiskey into the glasses and handing one of them to Nick. "You know, we have a tradition here: Every time we get a new child, we bought a bottle of wine, whiskey or something similar. And on important occasions of those children, we clink glasses with it."

Nick smiled benignly. "You just come up with this tradition, didn't you? I mean, you cannot proper seal a bottle of wine again once opened; also a few hundred bottles of liquor with name tags on it would be quite a sight in your basement."

Stu winked at him. "Never try to outwit a fox, huh? Well, okay, it's not really a tradition. But it's a good story and this Whiskey is really as old as Judy you know. And I think it's a good occasion to have a glass of it." He raised his glass and Nick followed suit. "To you and Judy!"

"And to you and your great family." Nick clinked his glass with Stu's.

"You are already part of the family, my son." Stu proudly smiled and they both took a sip.


	18. 2x07 - A puzzle, finally complete

_"Marriage is a mosaic you build with your spouse - millions of tiny moments that create your love story. Jennifer Smith"_

* * *

When Nick came back to their bedroom he blinked a few times in the dark and closed the door. He was alone in the room, Judy probably still with Evelin. He fetched his big towel from the back of a chair and left the room again, walking across the corridor and entering the bathroom. It was half an hour past midnight and most of the residents were already sleeping. He took his time, taking a hot and steamy shower, then enwrapping in his towel and wiping the mirror with his paw. The image in the mirror looked back to him with tired eyes. In fact, he didn't get a lot of sleep and had a few stressful days. But everything worked just perfectly as planned. It even felt somehow unreal, was he just dreaming in the end and would wake up every moment in their apartment from the alarm, having to go to work? He shivered when a draft blew through his damp fur; a door was opened on the corridor and someone was walking down the hall. Nick didn't feel like having some small-talk with anyone now, so he waited until another short draft signalized him that whoever there was, he or she was back in one of the rooms. He wrapped the towel somewhat tighter around his body, left the bathroom and tiptoed back to the big guest room.

Nick closed the door behind him, turned around and leaned his head against the doorframe. His thoughts were running through his head and the blood was pounding inside his ears. He tried to take a deep breath, but his throat was tightened with a sudden fear and his heart started throbbing even harder. He clenched his paws around the door frame and whimpered quietly, holding his eyes shut. "Nick?" Judy's voice seemed like being from far away. "Nick, is everything okay?" He couldn't answer, the voice seemed to be in his head but the feeling of panic was too strong to recognize her. Suddenly something was gently touching his arm and he turned around all of a sudden. Judy was standing right beside him, still having her paw on his arm and looking worried; even more when she realized Nick's frightened and scared look on his face.

She came back from Evelin just a few minutes ago and sat on the bed when Nick entered the room without noticing her. But the moment she wanted to greet him, she already noticed that something was strange. Nicks heart was palpitating and his breathing was quick and flat. It was not very often that she experienced this with her fox, but he was clearly terrified of something. When he didn't react on her calling his name, she walked over to him and put her paw onto his arm. Immediately he turned around like being hounded and now mousetrapped. It made Judy cringe to see Nick in such a state; holding his paw in hers she tried to ease him. It worked and after a few minutes they both sat on the floor, Judy tickling through the fox's fur.

"Are you okay again?" Judy asked quietly and with a worried sub-tone.

"Yes." Nick said even more quietly. "Thank you, carrots."

"Don't mention it, foxtrot." She smiled softly, leaning her head against his body. Of course she wanted to ask what happened but Judy felt like she should wait for him to talk first.

It took Nick another few minutes to calm down completely. He smiled at her, put his arms around her shoulders and legs, and got back on his feet, holding her in his arms. Judy giggled quietly when she noticed that he lost his towel while walking her back to the bed. After laying her down he climbed beside her and the dim light from the nightstand was reflecting in his green eyes while watching her closely cuddling with his fluffy tail. When she finished she looked back at him with a smile. Her eyes where clearly offering him to talk about what just happened, but still she didn't say anything.

After a while enjoying the moment, Nick cleared his throat. "Sorry for earlier, carrots. Didn't want to scare you."

"Wanna talk about it?" She offered him with a smile and tickled along his tail. When Nick shrugged with his shoulders, Judy decided to go a bit further. "You were in panic… there must be something really scary to frighten you so much."

"It was just…" Nick tried to explain what he was feeling right before his panic attack and sighed.

"What was it, Nick?" Judy's voice was gently and soft. He could do nothing but smile at her, then he continued.

"The last year was like nothing I could compare it to. Always being on my own was a great time, but I never knew what I was missing. Everything was working out so fine, you have really a great family and I couldn't think of any animal being as cute as you are." Judy's nose twitched when he called her cute but didn't interrupt him. "I really tried my very best to keep up with you, and everything was just working out so perfectly up to this point when you really agreed to marry a dumb fox like me. And it became clear to me that I'm completely at your mercy. A-and that everything could be just a dream, or even worse a big hustle. I broke my vow to never let someone ever be in the position to hurt me again; and suddenly I panicked, feeling like a helpless prey and haunted by some cruel reality, a-and …"

Judy put her finger on Nick's lips and shushed, smiling. "Dumb fox."

"I know." Nick sighed, but Judy shook her head.

"You have to say 'Sly bunny'!" she winked at him and Nick replied with a small smile. "Amazing, you always seem to be the hard and sly fox, but deep inside you are a fluffy prey." Judy giggled and before Nick could say anything she leaped up and hopped on his stomach, bending her head down near his. "Listen, Nick: This isn't neither a dream nor a big hustle. And I'm definitely not going to hurt you." She stroked his face with her paw. "It's okay to have a bit of a panic attack. Evelin helped me with mine just a few hours ago. Well, she and a bit of sparkling wine that is." She winked and Nick smiled at her. "It's really okay, Nick. And you can always count on and talk with me. Neither of us has to go alone through this, and together we can manage everything." Judy gave him a kiss and Nick put his arms around her hip to hold her tight.

"Did I already tell you, that I love you, Judy Hopps?" he whispered in her ears and Judy giggled.

"Not in the last ten minutes."

"Well, let me show you how much I do…" he replied with a wink and started to kiss her passionately.

* * *

It was early in the morning when a few impatiently rabbits knocked on the door of Nicks and Judys bedroom. After Judy drowsy ensured that she and Nick were both covered under the blanket, she called halfheartedly "Come in" and immediately covered her eyes from the bright light coming from outside their room.

"Judy! You didn't get up yet?! Come on darling, you have to hurry!" Bunny Hopps was rushing into the room, accompanied by Jenny and Clara.

Before Judy could say knife she was dragged out of the bed and wrapped in a bathrobe, all three other bunnies talking to her without cease and finally pushing her with them out of the room and into the bathroom.

Nick was awake, too, of course. He searched sleepy for the clock on the wall: quarter to six! Rolling his eyes his head sank back into his pillow. They had just slept for a few hours and the ceremony would start in about four hours at ten o'clock. Woman are always in need of a bit more time to get ready, but such a hectic rush so early in the morning seemed a bit exaggerated to him. He was just drifting away in a light sleep again when another one was coming through the still open door. "Nicholas Piberius Wilde! You are still in bed? It's nearly six o'clock, you have to hurry!" Nick opened his eyes in a blink of a second and sit up. He would recognize this voice anytime.

"Mom?!"

* * *

"And when Mister Hopps offered to pick me up from the station I took the first train to Bunnyburrow, so I can spend a few more hours with my son before he will marry."

Nick and his mom were sitting in one of the smaller kitchens and drinking some hot coffee together.

"I would have picked you up, too, if you would have called that you are arriving earlier, mom."

"I know my dear." She smiled and put her paw onto his. "I am really happy for you, and I know your father would be, too."

Nick smiled at her. "Thanks, mom." He hesitated for a moment. "It does matter a lot to me that you are here."

"Are you joking, Nick? I would never miss my only son's wedding!" she laughed. "You know, it's not long ago when I thought that I will never live to see this day, and I was blaming myself for it."

Nick frowned. "Not this again, mom. You and dad were great parents."

"We tried our best, yes. But you had a difficult childhood. Don't think that I didn't notice how often you were in trouble." Nick's mother smiled when her son was contritely rubbing his neck with his paw.

"Mom, I …" he started, but his mom just waved with her hand, smiling.

"I was always hoping that someday you will find someone special. I would have never guessed that it could be a prey. And I was still skeptical when you introduced me to Judy last year. You know, you were a little Don Juan." She smiled. "And today you are marrying this little cutie-pie. You have no idea how proud I am of you, my dear."

"Thanks, mom…" Nick replied with an embarrassed smile and took another big sip from his coffee.

"The only way to make me even prouder would be some grandchildren." She winked and started to laugh when her son started to choke on his beverage and coughed.

"Mom!" Nick blurted and his mother patted his paw.

"Well, we should start with the last preparations and get you accoutered." the older vixen said while getting up from her chair. "You don't want to marry in this tracksuit, do you?"

* * *

While two of her sisters, Meika and Anika, where brushing Judy's fur, two other sisters where manicuring her paws. Evelin was sitting across the room, having also a few of her sisters around her. Their mother had acquired the big living room and channeled it into the preparation room for the two brides. Nearly three dozen rabbits were running all mixed up, discussing details, bringing accessories, clothes, makeup, towels and all kind of different things. Most of the space was reserved for Evelin and Judy, but the bridesmaids were also there to dress up and running through the complete schedule to make everything perfect.

"Green carrot!", Anika started to rant and stopped brushing Judy's head and ears. "Can somebody bring me a pair of scissors, please!", and addressing Judy: "When was the last time you trimmed your fur? It's all unequally cut around your ears!" – she was nearly screaming with a high pitched voice.

"Oh come on, really? I was at a furcutter the day before we came to Bunnyburrow!" Judy sounded stressed and also a bit nerved. She was never a mannequin or model. Of course she was always well-tended, but she was never getting all dolled up. There were a few occasions that she wore a tiny bit of make-up when going out with Nick, but all of this now? She wasn't feeling comfortable in her own skin. In the meanwhile, some younger siblings had brought some scissors and a comb and Anika was making sure that each and every hair of her fur was of the same length.

"You may as well give in to them, Juju." Evelin snickered. "I'm undergoing all of this since a full week. And it was really hard to keep them all away from you. So you have to undergo the whole beautifying treatment in just a few hours now."

"I didn't know, that… ouch!" Meika was still brushing her legs and wasn't considering too much if it was comfortable for Judy, mumbling something about a primeval forest of fur. "…that I need to be beautified – ouch! Sweet cheese and crackers, Meika! You are pulling off my fur instead of brushing it!"

"Keep still, Judith!" Anika ordered her, pushing her head back against the chair and cutting a millimeter or two of another few hairs.

"Judy, my darling, of course you are beautiful. But this is a very special day and everything has to be perfect!" Bonnie was trying to talk calmly, holding a cardboard with over a dozen different colors beside her cheeks. "I think we will go with hue number 29 for her cheeks, but for her eyes I need the lighter sample board!" Their mother seems to be talking to no one special while already disappearing again within the crowd of rabbits.

"If it wasn't so funny I could be a little envy of all the attention you are getting, Juju." Evelin giggled.

"Oh, please let us switch seats, Eve!" Judy moaned.

"No way, sis. I already suffered enough." The younger sister winked.

"By the way suffering, why didn't the tailor bring the adjusted wedding dress yet? They promised to bring it until 9 o'clock, and it is nearly quarter past nine already!" Bonnie screamed nervously while running with two new cardboards full of different make-up colors across the room to Judy.

* * *

"Is Ralph back again already?" Stu Hopps asked no one special in the other living room, now the counterpart for last preparations of the grooms.

"Who is Ralph?" Nicks mother asked her son while adjusting some creases of his button-down shirt.

"One of Judy's brothers and my best man." Nick replied, trying to sound as calm as he could.

"Your best man went missing?" the older vixen sounded startled.

"No, mom. He is not missing but drove to town to get the rings from the jewelry."

"I don't believe this, you are going to marry in less than two hours and you not even have the rings ready?"

"Come on, mom. I proposed to Judy about 36 hours ago and we choose the rings just yesterday. Mister Charmander, the jeweler, had to fit in the new diamonds and make the engravings. But he promised that they will be ready in time." Nick tried to explain with a calm voice, but it was shortly before ten o'clock and Ralph was indeed still _missing in action_. The fox took a deep breath and let his looks roam across the room. Sven was surrounded by half a dozen other rabbits, most of them unknown to Nick. They must be some of his siblings, he guessed. The groomsmen were standing together in their suits, talking. Three of Judy's brother, who had helped him in the last few hours with his suit and fur, were gone with his jacket to iron it again – despise his and his mother's protests. Right now there was nothing left to do and he started to get nervously walking up and down.

"Nick, my dear, can you tell me where I will find Judy?" the vixen suddenly asked him.

Nick raised his eyebrows. "It's a little bit too late to tell her what a terrible choice I am, mom." He tried to play coolly and winked.

"Maybe, but I have to try at last." She winked and grinned even wider when she realized Nicks slightly shocked expression.

"Well, I guess she is in the big living room, I will show you the…"

"No, you can't! Don't you know it will bring ill luck if you see the bride before the ceremony, my dear?"

Nick looked defeated and shrugged, looking around the room. "Hey, Stu…!" he waved to Nicks father who was still lingering around the room without knowing what to do. He repeated his name another time when the older rabbit didn't react and finally shouted: "Hey, dad!"

The room didn't go exactly silent, but it got a lot quieter and a most of the heads turned around to Nick, who was grinning from ear to ear. But he achieved his goal and Stu Hopps walked towards him with a grin on his face.

"Yes, _my son_?" he said when he reached Nick and winked at him.

"Could you accompany my mother to the big living room? She wants to talk with Judy what a big mistake she is going to make." Nick smiled a bit, carrying the joke along.

"I am afraid that this will be a pointless attempt, but of course I will show you the way ma'am." Stu smiled to the vixen and lead the way to the door.

Nick put his paws into his pockets and sighed, standing along near the chimney. Then he took a small note from his pocket and slowly read it again. It was the vow he wrote for Judy that he would have to say aloud in about an hour in front of a few hundred mammals. He really was starting to get nervous…

"I'm back from the smithery Eregions!" a rabbit exclaimed with a grin while entering the room, a small black package in his paws.

"Ralph!" Nick turned around with a relieved smile on his face.

* * *

When Nick's mother knocked on the door, Stu was already on his way back. She waited a few moments, but there were so much noises on the other side of the door that she guessed that nobody would hear her knocking. After knocking again, she slowly entered the room, where most of the rabbits were surrounding Evelin, Judy and a few other rabbits the vixen guessed are the bridesmaids. The two brides were already wearing their dresses and they really looked stunning. The vixen made a few steps in their direction and hemmed.

"Martha!" Judy exclaimed joyful and waved her nearer.

"Hey Judy, hey Evelin! You two really look gorgeous!" the vixen smiled at the both brides.

"Thank you, Miss Wilde." Evelin beamed with joy.

"Call me Martha, please." Nicks mother replied with a smile, then turning her head back to Judy. "I know, it's not the perfect moment, but do you have a minute for me, Judy?"

"Of course, maybe we go over to the couch over there?" Judy suggested, relieved to get away from all the attraction of her siblings for a moment, and stepped down from a stool. They both sit down on a smaller couch, the same one that was standing near the framed picture of Judy and Nick.

"Did you have a nice journey down to Bunnyburrow?" Judy asked smiling.

"Oh, it was quite an experience to leave Zootopia. I'm not traveling too much these days and I never was in Bunnyburrow before."

"Maybe we will find some time to show you the town and the surroundings later." Judy suggested.

Martha Wilde laughed. "I don't think that we will have enough time for this. After all, this is your wedding and your most important day!" she smiled. "And that brings me to the reason I want to talk to you, my dear."

Judy consorted with Nick's mother quite well since their first meeting. And after the rough start her own family gave Nick when they revealed their relationship, it was freshening how inclusive Nick's mom was towards her from the beginning.

"What is it?" Judy asked curiously.

The vixen put her paw into her purse and got a small box from it. "As you know, Nick is my only child. My husband and I never had a daughter. But…" she opened the little box, and within was a small brooch made of gold and silver with an engraving in a foreign language Judy couldn't read. "This brooch runs in our family for five generations, passed from the mother to her oldest daughter when she marries." Her paws ran over the engravings. "It's Sanskrit and means 'Luck' and 'Family'. You are what comes closest to a daughter to me, Judy, and I want to hand it over to you." She took the small brooch from the case and presented it to Judy, who didn't say a word. The vixen seemed to become a bit uneasy. "I know, it's not very valuable and quite old-fashioned…"

"It is beautiful…" Judy finally said emotionally. "I'm really touched and don't know what to say, Martha." Judy smiled and tried hard to not start crying right now. Nick's mother smiled, took Judy's paw and lay the brooch into it.

"You don't have to say anything, darling. It's not this brooch or the wedding that makes you part of our family. You already are since a very long time and I couldn't hope for a better daughter than you are."

Judy laughed and started to weep at the same time, embracing the vixen in a tight hug.

"Cheese and carrots, Judy! Are you crying? Your whole make-up will be a mess and it is already half past ten!" A few rabbits rushed across the room, armed with clothes and new make-up. Judy rolled her eyes laughing and rubbing with the back of her paw over her nose.

"Thank you, Martha!" she sniveled smiling and got up from the couch.

"I have to thank you, Judy. And now I will go back and have a look after Nick. See you in a bit!" the vixen replied her smile and got up from the couch, too. When Nick's mother was leaving the room, Judy was already conducted back on the stool and surrounded by even more rabbits.

* * *

The big community hall near the Hopps farm was filled to capacity and the muttering of nearly six hundred mammals filled the air. Most of them were of course rabbits, more or less the complete Hopps family and the – slightly smaller – family of Sven. Coming along were of course friends and neighbors from all over Bunnyburrow. But quite a sight were Nick's and Judy's friends and colleagues from Zootopia; big mammals like buffalos, cheetahs, polar bears, rhinos and lions were not often seen in Bunnyburrow. A few of the rabbits outside the Hopps family were a bit nervous at first, but it was an overall great atmosphere and the older rabbits could quickly settle the few reservations.

Chief Bogo and Clawhauser were both wearing an elegant suit with bowties; and while the buffalo was standing dead still with his hands folded behind his back, Clawhauser was trying hard to not completely loose it, being all giddy with excitement. Emmitt Otterton wear a suit, too, and was talking with his wife about the beautiful flower arrangements while she was adjusting his bowtie with a smile.

River, Clara and Jenny – Judy's bridesmaids – were nervously whispering and giggling with the bridesmaids from Evelin. Sven's groomsman were all rabbits, too, and impatiently waiting for the beginning of the ceremony.

Nick was standing side by side with Sven in the middle of the scene, both trying to look as calm and confident as possible. It was already a few minutes past eleven o'clock when Ralph and another rabbit in a similar suit walked down the aisle, chatting with each other. Nick guessed correctly, that the other rabbit must be the best man from Sven. The both grooms were wearing a suit all in white with a silk bowtie and looked as clean-cut as possible. When the both best men arrived, they took up position right beside them, their paws folded behind their back, smiling at the two grooms. Sven was stepping nervously from one feet onto the other and Nick slowly took a deep breath.

"This was a lot less intimidating in my imagination." Nick said quietly with a look over the whole crowd in front of them.

"You don't say." Sven mumbled with a nervous smile.

Finally, Bonnie Hopps and Martha Wilde entered the hall through a side entrance and, after a short wink to the two grooms, took place in the first row. The band of the Bunnyburrow volunteer fire department was finished tuning their instruments and seems to wait for a signal. Sven's ears twitched a little bit in Nick's direction. He never really payed attention to the fox's heartbeat. It was rather slow compared to one of a rabbit and he blocked out those sounds normally. But now, standing right beside of Nick, it was rather difficult to ignore it – and despite Sven was a bit nervous for his part, Nick's heart was beating even faster than his own this time and sounded quite alarming to him.

"Is everything okay, Nick?" the rabbit asked gently.

"M-hm…" Nick hummed without moving and starring along the aisle and clenching his paws behind his back.

All of a sudden the strings of the orchestra started to play (YouTube: mJ_fkw5j-t0) and the whole crowd in the hall was standing up and went silent immediately. All bridesmaids and groomsman as well as Sven and Nick straighten oneself and all heads turned around to the main entrance. The violins were accompanied by two cellos, but the third Cello – played by the oldest Hopps daughter Jana – was still waiting. Finally, Jana started to play the main-part, too, (0:58) and at the same time the main door opened. First came Annabelle, Bobby, Lukas and Annie, walking as flower people and scattering white, pink, purple and red petals on the floor. Stu Hopps was slowly following them, on his left arm Judy, on his right Evelin, both in their wedding dresses and with a pink (Evelin) and purple (Judy) veil on their head. In their arms were beautiful bouquets and while walking down the aisle there were some oohs and aahs while they were passing the different rows. Everything around Nick was blanked out, the only thing he was taking in at the moment was Judy, like he had never see her before. In the last few days he had tried to imagine how she would look in a wedding dress, but his most beautiful fantasy couldn't live up to this very moment. Judy was smiling like Nick had never see on her before and her whole appearance was radiating with joy and confidence; the soft light around her dress and veil made it look like she was glowing from the inside.

When the two brides and Stu finally arrived the end of the aisle, the old rabbit first hugged Judy, then shook hands with Nick while looking into his eyes with pride and joy; finally, he took Judy's paw and laid it inside Nicks. Then he repeated the same with Evelin and Sven before he smiled a last time at the two couples, slowly retreating and taking place beside Bonnie. His wife put her own paws around his and smiled at him while Stu was twitching his nose, trying hard not to crying. The last sounds of the orchestra were fading away, and while everybody was taking seat again the two bridal couples turned around to face an old rabbit that Nick knew as 'Uncle Michael' and who would lead the ceremony as justice of the peace.

After everyone had sat down again, Michael raised his voice.

"Dear Friends and Family. Today we all have gathered together to celebrate the marriage of Evelin Katherine Hopps and Sven Winston Brooks, and Judith Laverne Hopps and Nicholas Piberius Wilde.

Marriage - it is the promise between two animals who love each other, who trust each other, who honor one another as individuals in that togetherness, and who wish to spend rest of their lives with each other. It enables two separate souls to share their desires, dreams, longings, joys and sorrows, and to help each other through all uncertainties of life.

Marriage is commitment to take life's joy deep; deeper than happiness, deep into the discovery of who you most truly are. It is a commitment to a spiritual journey, to a life of becoming – in which joy can comprehend despair, running through rivers of pain into joy again.

And thus marriage is even deeper than commitment. It is a covenant – a covenant that says:  
I love you. I trust you. I will be here for you when you are hurting, and when I am hurting, I will not leave. It is a covenant intended not to provide haven from pain or from anger and sorrow. Life offers no such haven. Instead, marriage is intended to provide a sanctuary safe enough to risk loving, to risk living and sharing from the center of oneself. This is worth everything."

The two bridal couples each shared a look, smiling. Then, Michael turned first to Evelin and Sven.

"Sven Winston Brooks, will you take Evelin Katherine Hopps, to be your lawful wedded wife? Will you love, comfort, honor and protect her; forsaking all other to be faithful to her until death do you apart?"

Sven answered determined but with a little thin voice: "I do."

"Evelin Katherine Hopps, will you take Sven Winston Brooks, to be your lawful wedded husband? Will you love, comfort, honor and protect him; forsaking all others to be faithful to him until death do you apart?"

Evelin answered smiling: "I do."

Now, Michael turned around and faced the other couple. Judy heard Nick's heart skip a beat or two and she chuckled to herself.

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde, will you take Judith Laverne Hopps, to be your lawful wedded wife? Will you love, comfort, honor and protect her; forsaking all other to be faithful to her until death do you apart?"

"Yes. Yes, I do." Nick said in his deepest voice, sounding rather calm.

"Judith Laverne Hopps, will you take Nicholas Piberius Wilde, to be your lawful wedded husband? Will you love, comfort, honor and protect him; forsaking all others to be faithful to him until death do you apart?"

Judy looked directly into Nicks eyes through her veil: "Yes, I do."

A short whispering was going through the hall and Michael smiled. Then he continued:

"Both couples have prepared a vow for each other." He made a short gesture to Sven, who harrumphed and turned to Evelin, taking her paws into his.

"Dear Evelin. I will dedicate myself to you wholeheartedly. I will make time for you and support you in everything you do. I will help you to raise our children to become loving people, and support you in the fundamental role of parent."

There was a light glitter in Evelin's eyes, then after a shot moment she replied to him with a slightly prankfully smile:

"Sven, my darling. I promise to be true to you, to uplift and support you, to frustrate and challenge you, and to share with you the beautiful moments of life. Someday, if the stars align, I might even let you win an argument."

There was a silent laugher around in the hall, then all looks went to Nick. The now not-so-sly fox slowly turned around to face Judy, taking both her paws into his. He took a long and deep breath and after a few moments, he finally said:

"My beloved Judy. I see these vows not as promises but as privileges: I get to laugh with you and cry with you; care for you and share with you. I get to run with you and walk with you; build with you and live with you. You know me better than anyone else in this world and somehow still you manage to love me." – he smiled even a bit wider. "You are my best friend and one true love. There is still a part of me today that cannot believe that I'm the one who gets to marry you. All that I have, all that I am, all that I will ever be, is yours. Forever."

It took Judy a moment to calm down enough to speak with a firm voice:

"I remember once how I told you I did not believe in soul mates. I will never forget your reaction: Shocked and a little hurt that I did not think we were. But as time went by, your love made me believe." – she blinked a few times, then continued. "In this beautiful garden I dedicate myself to you. Although our lives may change like the seasons, I will love you. As our love grows like a seed to a beautiful flower, I will love you. When the winds of doubt blow through, I will love you. We will stand together, strong, nurtured by each other's love until the end."

Michael nodded to Nick's and Sven's best man, who each reached into their pockets getting the rings and giving one of them each to Nick and Sven. Then Michael said with a quick nod to the two grooms:

"Repeat after me: This ring, which has no beginning and no end, symbolizes the love and trust between us that will never cease. May its presence on your hand remind you of my love and vow. I place it on your finger as a visible sign of the promises which have made us husband and wife."

While holding Judy's paw Nick slowly put the ring onto it while repeating the sentence, looking deep in her eyes despite the veil; Sven did the same with Evelin and both repeated the vow unison. Then the best men gave the ring counterparts to Judy and Evelin. Michael said again:

"You, too, repeat after me: This ring, which has no beginning and no end, symbolizes the love and trust between us that will never cease. May its presence on your hand remind you of my love and vow. I place it on your finger as a visible sign of the promises which have made us husband and wife."

Both brides slowly put the rings on their grooms' paws while repeating the vow, too. Michael nodded, then continued:

"Until now Evelin and Sven, just as Judith and Nicholas, have spent each moment of their lives as separate individuals. But from this day on, and every day after this day shall be shared and spent by each couple as one. By the power enthroned in me, by the city of Zootopia and the district of Bunnyburrow, I now pronounce you (nodding to Evelin and Sven) and you (nodding to Judy and Nick) husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride." – he spread his arms and smiled to them.

Nick took Judy's veil with both paws and raised it above her head. It was the first time he saw her face and eyes today unveiled. She was as beautiful as always, but something was different. When he stroked over her cheeks with his thumbs, her fur felt different – smooth as if it were made out of silk, and he could recognize a touch of make-up and some glitter on it that was very subtle, but emphasized her natural beauty in a very unique way. He slowly drew her closer, Judy looking dreamy at him with a tear in the corner of her eyes. While leaning in to kiss her, they both closed their eyes and when their lips finally met it was like time was coming to a halt. Nick felt like he had never kissed Judy before; well, in fact he didn't kiss Judy in front of a few hundred people – including her whole family – before, so this was a first-time in some way. But it felt quite different and every bit of tension was gone at once.

It took a perceived eternity until Judy and Nick parted their lips again. Judy took Nick's paw and hold it tight, turning to Michael again. She felt Sven's and Evelin's smirking looks on her face and heard an amused humming in the hall. While nibbling on her lower lip she even started to blush under her fur and envied Nick – not for the first time – for his fur color. Michael smiled and finally said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends and family, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Hopps-Brooks…", he pointed to Evelin and Sven, "and Mr. and Mrs. Hopps-Wilde.", he pointed to Judy and Nick. Both newlywed couples turned around and all guests stood up, clapping their hands. Stu and Bonnie were both weeping and embracing each other's, as were quite a few other guests, and all four just married animals were beaming of pride and joy. The band started playing again (YouTube: 7McYoKNbYRw) and the newlyweds started to go really slowly, arm in arm along the aisle, passing all their guests who were still standing and applauding them. The four flower kits were running ahead again, throwing new petals on the floor again; all followed by the witnesses of the marriages and finally the cheering crowd of guests.

After throwing and catching the brides' flowers and like a million photos, shake-hands, hugs and kisses, they all walked in a long caravan to the Hopps' farm but the two married couples which were each carried in a sedan by their corresponding groomsmen – quite a look for the one carried by a rabbit, an otter, a buffalo and a cheetah.

"You will pay for this, Wilde." was everything that Chief Bogo said to this, but with a smile and after congratulating them. And he did in fact had his revenge when he had a short speech and talked about the more embarrassing missions Nick was involved in, including some photos. The one where Nick and Judy were filmed just in underwear making out in a safe-house after they had protected a witness for a weekend was the last one – "After that incident it was necessary to put up signs, that our safe-houses are video monitored 24/7. Something that I thought was obvious." But it was all still fun and they all had quite a few good laughs.

Ralph talked about the first time he had met Nick and a short and moderated version of the first encounter of Nick and Judy as a couple with her parents. But he also took the opportunity to emphasize what a great character and person Nick is and how he is a half a rabbit in the meanwhile, despite his body size and ears; even when he preferred his own kind of 'carrots' to eat, winking to Judy.

The last one speaking for them was Evelin as Judy's chief bridesmaid. And of course she insisted on talking about a few not-so-common stories out of late-bloomer Judy's life, quite to her embarrassing. But of course she made it clear what a great sister and friend she is, how she had planned-ahead her career as a police officer (Nick could swear he saw Chief Bogo grinning while the short video of Judy's school play) and like everyone in the Hopps family feared that she would end as an old damsel someday, never getting warm with any of her numerous admires. When she finished her speech, everybody had a good – and friendly – laugh, including Judy. Then the groomsmen of Sven had their turn, and Judy had her pay-back with quite a few stories and photos, showing Evelin as being always the feral little sister. But in the end, both sisters were hugging each other firmly, both being on the verge of tears and with loud applause from the guests.

After all speeches were finished, the banquet officially started and more than a dozen stewards brought the first course to the tables. The band was now composed of just a few rabbits playing the percussion, two guitars and Jana again with the cello, a cat sitting at the piano and two sheep playing saxophone and the trumpet – much less than the big band from earlier in the community hall, but with a great repertoire of songs. Two harts and a beaver were accompanying them as singers. During the different courses of the dinner a sustaining muttering and clinking with the silverware and dishes was pervading the air in the large tent.

While Nick was talking with Bogo and Clawhauser, Judy and Evelin were more giggling than talking. Suddenly Sven started to chuckle quietly and when Evelin and Judy turned their heads to him he had his wedding ring in his paw.

"Really?" he winked at Evelin with a short nod to the ring.

Eve grinned from ear to ear, eagerly nodding. "You bet!"

"What is it?" Judy asked curiously and Sven handed her his ring. When Judy read the engraving Eve had made for him, she started to snort – ' _Mine_.' was the only word that was engraved, followed by todays date. "Well, it seems as if you have marked your territory quite well, sis."

Evelin and Ralph both laughed and Judy gave him the ring back. "And yours?" she asked Eve, even more curiously. Her little sister took the ring from her paw and gave it to Judy with a grin – ' _Always_.'

"You both are really complementing each other, but it's clear who is wearing the breeches." she winked at them both and Sven gave his wife an affectionate kiss.

"What about your ring, sis?" Eve asked full of curiosity, peering to her paw.

Judy blushed a bit, looking down to her ring and shrugged. "I didn't have had the courage to take a look, yet…" she mumbled.

Evelin's eyes grew big and Sven raised his eyebrows. "You haven't agreed with Nick the engravings in advance?" her sis asked unbelieving.

"It seemed like a romantic idea… I think…" Judy was playing nervously with her new ring.

"You have two seconds to take off this ring and read it aloud until I will take charge of it, sissy-sis."

Judy grinned and took the ring from her paw. "Okay, okay" – after rotating it a bit, she read the engraving – 'Now I am complete - Nick', followed by todays date. Judy smiled moony and Evelin put her arms around her shoulders, grinning with joy.

"And what's engraved in his?" she asked.

Judy grinned again and turned around to Nick, who was currently looking through a few photos Clawhauser was showing him on his smartphone, and nudged him with her elbow. The fox turned around with a questioning look.

"Hm? What is it, carrots?" he smiled at her, then suddenly leaning in with his head and giving her a nice and quick kiss.

"Eve and Sven were asking, what the engraving on your ring was saying."

"Oh… of course." he slyly grinned. "It says 'My first. My only. – Judy' with today's date." he winked at both.

Sven mumbled something like 'Too much information…' but Evelin laughed and gave Judy a kiss on her cheek.

"Maybe you are her first – and only – but you unerringly picked the most ambitious out of all Hopp's kits, so I bet she is eagerly catching up on it with you." the younger sister was smirking and Judy was punching her lightly on her arm.

"Ey!" Judy protested and blushed heavily.

"I can assure you she had a lot of practice in the meantime." Nick laughed with a sly grin, then asked curiously: "What are your engravings saying?"

"I wrote 'Mine' on Sven's ring." Eve grinned and winked. "And on mine ring he wrote 'Always'."

The fox smiled agreeing, then Judy put her arm around his neck and gave him a sweet kiss on his cheek. "I really love your engraving, Nick." She whispered in his ear. Nick smiled:

"As I do yours" he replied her kiss, but then started to nibble on her neck with a grin.

Judy giggled: "Shh! Not now and here, you naughty fox!"

Nick playfully pulled a sulky face. "It's easy for you to talk, you have obviously no idea what an olfactory pheromone challenge this wedding is for such a sensitive nose like mine!" he sighed. "I could devour a whole rabbit right here and now on this table!" he licked over his lips with a sly grin.

"Whatever, but don't forget about the few hundred witnesses with lots of cameras and the half police precinct that's present. You will end up on the front page of all newspapers, but … bon appétit!" Judy smiled slyly at him, running at the same time her paw higher on Nick's thigh.

Nick closed his eyes and whimpered while Judy grinned even wider, stroking his inner thigh.

"I think it is time for the first dance of our bridal couples!" Stu and Bonnies voice were tearing them out of their thoughts, and the four newlywed stood up behind their tables.

Evelin whispered to Nick: "Rescued by the parents, but I bet not for long." she winked at him.

"I don't know if I will survive this…" Nick sighed quietly while they were all slowly walking to the dance floor.

"I thought you can dance really great, foxy?" Evelin looked curiously but Sven interrupted them with a harrumph.

"I guess that's not what Nick was referring to..." Sven mumbled to Eve with a wink.

Nick just shrugged with his shoulders, obviously exerting himself for a professional manner, but his nose was still twitching suspiciously. Judy however was walking a few steps ahead, beaming like never before; this was the best day of her life and she wanted to savor each and every moment of it.

Evelin chuckled: "Let me handle that for you, Nicky…" she gave him a thumb-up, then caughed up with Judy and linking her arm with her sisters. They whispered for a few moments, and neither Sven nor Nick had any idea what they were up to. Then Judy eagerly hopped in the direction of the band while Evelin turned back to the two waiting husbands.

"Well, my darling…" she put her arm around Sven's hip and dragged him with her to the border of the dance floor. "We decided, that Judy and Nick can have the first dance and we will have ours directly after them." Her pleased grinning made Nick gulp a bit.

"I don't think, we…" he began, but the very same moment the first beats of "Crazy something normal" (YouTube: I1iZwnP_hc8) were playing and Judy already started to walk towards him with her arms and paws reaching alternating in the air, striking over her stomach and breasts on their way up. Nick was immediately turned-on again, but this song and them dancing to it had definitely something magic.

When the first verse started (0:44), Judy moved her mouth as if she was singing, and Nick started to dance along with her. It took only a few moments until they were both rushing over the dance floor to the fast up-beat of the song. It was a mix of dancing skin to skin, dancing together but each on his own and Nick even throw her into the air two times just to catch her again under loud howling and applause.

It wasn't until the end of the song, when the singers of the band were finishing the song with the verses "If you don't know where come follow me.", repeating it four times. Judy was slowly walking backwards from the stage, repeating the verse with her mouth and a wide smile, waving Nick with her with her both paws. The fox made a little show as if he wants to hesitate but finally followed her, and when the last sounds of the song were dying away, the whole tent was filled with applause and wolf whistling. On a signal by Evelin the band started to play the next song (YouTube: ogDGrZEapDw) – Sven and Evelin's song! – and Evelin sang along the first verse until Sven finally came onto the stage, too, and they both shared a great dance with quite a lot dancing interludes they had trained together. It didn't even attract anybody's attention, that Judy and Nick had actually left the tent at the end of their song through a side entrance…

* * *

"Sweet carrots." Sven murmured to Evelin after they finished their dance.

"What do you mean?" she stroked her husband's cheek with her paw.

"You don't notice it?" he smirked. When his wife shook her head, he continued: "Even when any of your sisters was in heat during your pregnancy, your scent always was the strongest I could recognize in any room. But currently…" he hesitated.

"Mh?" Eve raised her eyebrows and glanced to Sven for a second. "What do you talk about?"

Sven took a deep breath: "Judy is currently emitting more pheromones than two pregnant bunnies in heat. And I would bet any male rabbit here already noticed. Do you want to guess what effects that will have on her scent-linked partner and now-husband, not to speak a fox with even better olfactory cognition than any other mammal I know?"

Evelin started to grin and her grin even widened while Sven was speaking. "You are right, what do you think why I arranged this little timeout for them." She winked and they started another dance.

* * *

Nick stumbled to a nearby tree and supported himself against it. "I-I-I have to… fresh a-air!" Nick gasped and spoke quietly, grinding slowly his teeth. Nobody was outside with them at the moment, but Nick didn't want to be seen like that, now his whole body was shivering and only hardly under his control. He made a few fast steps and entered the Hopps house through the kitchen backdoor.

Judy rolled up her dress so it wouldn't drag along the floor, then hopped afterwards Nick. After the first corner she already saw him, entering their house through the backdoor of the kitchen. With a few large jumps she was at the door, too. It was closed, but she could definitely hear him whimpering and panting behind it. With a big grin she pushed the door open and Nick flinched, standing with his back to the wall. When he saw Judy standing in the open door with her sly grin and her paws put on her hips, he could just gasp out: "You!"

"Oh, yeah. It's me, foxtrot…" starting to grin she made a few steps inside the kitchen, letting the door slam close behind her. Without turning around, she grabbed behind to the lock and turned the key in the door, the quiet 'click' sounding nearly menacing. Nick was still standing there, noticeably endeavored for his composure. The wedding ceremony was like an aphrodisiac for them both, but Judy – surrounded by so many of her sisters – had her heat-cycle linked since this morning and additionally, no shot from Dr. Allisson was lowering the effects this time. She really needed Nick now. No, she needed her husband!

"Be careful, Judy! I'm not sure what you had in mind, but I can hardly withhold myself now…" he panted, his tail and nose twitching dangerously while starring at her. But Judy, still just grinning, grabbed with her paws to her back, opening one button of her dress after another, and after a minute or so she stripped out of the dress, letting it fall to her parent's kitchen floor. Standing in front of Nick just in her lace lingerie two meters away, she could hear her fox's heart and breathing getting really fast. She was impressed that he could still stand it!

"This is your parent's kitchen!" Nick gasped helpless, sounding like being tormented.

Judy made a few small steps in his direction, now standing right before him.

"So?" she put her head to the side and looked at him with her big and innocent eyes. When another heat wave flooded her body, Judy shivered involuntary; Nick closed his eyes while Judy's scent became rampant, but it was too late. With a quick jump forward he pinned Judy down to the floor, baring his teethes and catching after her neck with them.

* * *

It was early evening, the band was playing popular songs animating a lot of guests to dance, and the intermediate arranged cake buffet was currently being replaced by warm and cold dishes. When Nick and Judy entered the tent again a few hours ago, no one mentioned their absently hour. Even when Evelin was collecting all of Judy's bridesmaids again and accomplished with them Judy back to the house, Bonnie and Stu Hopps talked with Nick like they hadn't noticed their disappearance. Half an hour later Judy also looked fresh and all spruced up again; not like she had just rotted with a fox like there was no tomorrow.

Bonnie and Nick were dancing to 'Drive by' (YouTube: UmlwZImNOIo), as was Stu with Nick's mother Martha. Evelin walked over to Judy and nudged her grinning with her elbow.

"May I have this dance, sis?"

They joined all others on the dance floor, the small band still heating up the atmosphere with constantly playing more energetic and faster songs over the last few hours. After dinner most of the older guests would slowly dismiss themselves, but for the younger generation a long party night was ahead. Jana started to play the introductory solo of "Rather be" (YouTube: ZnE75pSZmQo) on her Cello, and the parents of Sven, Evelin, Judy and Nick all were exhausted going back to their seats, so the couples remixed again: Sven with Judy and Evelin with Nick were dashing over the dance floor this time. Judy's and Evelin's parents as well as Sven's parents and Nick's mother were sitting at one table, chatting together. When Joshua with his wife came to them, he stood behind Bonnie and Stu with his arms put on their shoulders.

"I think we will call it a day, the kits are rather tired and we drive nearly half an hour."

"Thank you for coming, Josh." His father said with a bright smile, and Bonnie added:

"Yes, I think Judy and Evelin really enjoyed you being here. I hope you had some fun, too."

"It was a really great wedding…" he hesitated for a moment, then added with a smile: "…both of them. I'm honestly glad that both of my sisters found their designated significant other." He was watching them dancing with a dreamy face. "They really look as happy as never before, don't they?"

Stu and Bonnie both nodded with a big smile and finally said goodbye to one of their oldest sons.

"It's great to see, that you still have such a great relationship with your kits, even after they have married." Martha said, taking a sip from her glass of claret.

"Some relationships are more easy than others." Stu winked, but Bonnie raised her eyebrow and put a paw on Martha's arm.

"You are missing him already, don't you?" she smiled softly and the older vixen returned her smile.

"Children grow up and if everything is going well they will found their own family. But I have to agree that I always feared he would never find someone he would share such a strong connection with. I'm so happy for him, really, and Judy is such a cutie-pie! But now he finally is having his very own life and family with her, and I don't know if I will still be a part of it."

"Oh, I wouldn't overthink that, now! All that we saw about Nick is indicating that he is a really great family man, not only as a husband and father, but also as a son." Bonnie said and Stu added instantly:

"And we being now all a big family altogether, you are of course always welcomed to our house, too!"

"Thank you, both of you!" Martha smiled, but then suddenly raised her eyebrows. "Wait, you said that he will be a great father?"

Bonnie lowered her face and Stu harrumphed silently. "Well, just a thought…" he finally said a bit uneasy.

"He comes along really great with our youngest kits, Judy always had a big family and…" Bonnie added, but then hesitated. Stu helped her out:

"All our children had at least one or two litters with their partners. So … we were somewhat … hoping."

Martha smiled softly: "Oh, that would be so great, really! I have to agree I always wanted to be a grandmother, but wasn't too sure… I mean, not all interspecies couples are compatible to have biological kits. Do you know, if…?"

Bonnie and Stu shook their head simultaneously. "We don't know any Fox-Rabbit-Partnerships, and to be honest we didn't have the guts to talk with them about it, yet." Stu said, Bonnie supportively putting her paw on his.

The band finished their song and one of the rabbits switched to an Oboe – playing the first tunes of the next song, "Criminal" (YouTube: srjPtc7ykiw). The drums and electric piano supplemented it and when one of the two harts started to sing the refrain, the colorful lights started to blink and illuminate the stage; a fog machine created some great effects together with some well-placed lasers. Judy and Evelin put both their shoulders to the wheel and performed a great dancing show, moving skin-to-skin along their husbands, rubbing up and down their bodies and licking lasciviously their own lips and the neck of their partners. Both Sven and Nick had opened their jackets and shirts and were moving along with Judy and Eve, making all guests wolf whistling and applauding them and giving them the most erotic show their parents probably ever saw from one of her kits. While Stu and also Sven's parents were holding their paw in front of their mouths in shock, Bonnie and Martha were sheering and laughing at the show. Stu turned his head to his wife and couldn't decide whose behavior – his daughters or his wife's – he found more disturbing right now.

Without interruption the band continued with the next song "My Way" (YouTube: b4Bj7Zb-YD4) in a medley-style, and a bunch of the younger guests – including quite a lot siblings from Sven and the Hopps-Sisters – were joining the four on the dance floor. The lights were flashing to the rhythms and the cheer was getting more and more hilarious with the next songs. When somebody had been afraid that this small country-side band could be somewhat boring they were now finally teaching them better. The piano turned out to be a full-blown synthesizer, the guitar players switched to electronic versions of their instruments and Jana now played an electronic violin instead of her cello. The trumpet and saxophone were the only two with the same instruments, but instead of slow and silent backing, they belted out the modern rock and pop songs, still accompanied by the two harts and the beaver as singers. In the meantime a few of the waiters arranged a cocktail bar partly where the buffet was over the day, serving both beer, wine and cocktails as well as non-alcoholic spritzer and beverages.

After dancing for about seven songs straight, both Sven and Evelin as well as Nick and Judy need a break and walked exhausted but with beaming smiles over to their parents table.

"I'm getting too chubby for this…" Evelin laughed while stroking her pregnant belly.

"Oh, you should spare some more energy for later, whiskers!" Sven winked with a sly grin and his father as well as Stu started to laugh, too.

Nick and Judy weren't as exhausted as Sven and Evelin, but a short break and having a freshening drink always was a good idea. While sipping on their cocktails through their straws they looked around. Suddenly Nick nudged Judy with his elbow and pointed with his snout to the dance floor where Clawhauser was currently dancing with two of Judy's bridesmaids surprisingly agile. Judy snorted in her drink and grinned from ear to ear.

"That's just like Clara and River." She winked to Nick, who nodded.

"I'm really glad that everyone seems to have fun. I even saw Bogo dancing earlier!" he chuckled.

"Really? And I missed it, cheese and carrots!"

"Don't worry, my dear. Ralph, Terrence and Beka are making quite a lot of photos and videos, I'm sure they will have filmed it." Bonnie said with a wink. "I hope you like your party, too?"

All four newlyweds nodded their head immediately, still grinning from ear to ear.

"It's just perfect and exactly like I always imagined it! I really love it!" Evelin said.

Judy suddenly jumped off her seat and embraced Evelin with a bone crushing hug. "Yes, it is and I'm sooooo thankful that we are sharing all of this in so many ways! No wedding or party I would have planned could be nearly as great as this!" she was beaming from joy but also had a tear in her eyes again. Evelin replied her hug and grinned, now near to tears herself.

"Without you this day wouldn't be as perfect as it is now, sis." She snuffled and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"And of course it wouldn't be without you, too, Nick!" Sven added with a big smile. The double-wedding really was a fantastic idea!"

"It is still a big honor that you are sharing this day with us, I never saw Judy as happy as today." Nick snickered with a wink to his wife. "And of course also thank you to you!" he continued with a look to their parents, who just stopped him with a wave of their paws.

"No words could describe the feeling how happy we are right now, so just enjoy your party!" Stu winked and Bonnie and Martha nodded agreeing.

When a new song started (YouTube: RF0HhrwIwp0), Judy jumped from her seat, eagerly taking Nick's paws. "Ready for another round, foxtrot?"

"Time to show those kits how to dance, carrots!" Nick stood up laughing and being dragged to the stage by Judy, where both started to sing along with the band and rocking hard to the really great cover version of it.

Obviously, this party had only just begun.


	19. 2x08 - Schrodinger's Cheetah

The whole squat of Zootopia's police precinct one that attended Judy's and Nick's wedding took the last train departing from Bunnyburrow: The train drove off at half past one in the morning and arrived at quarter to three at the Zootopia main railway station. One of the most important aspects of leadership is respect and being a role model. Well, common activities are also upholding the moral. There were two other married couples within Chief Bogos officers and most of the time it didn't cause more trouble than any other kind of friendship. But he had to admit, this was the first time that some officers of his own team were marrying and the first time that he even attended their wedding; let alone being a groomsman. But they all had some fun, even McHorn proved himself as a party animal and there were no incidents; something he always assumed during events where quite a lot of different types of animals join together.

All officers bid goodbye to each other in front of the station. They had to meet again at the precinct anyway in less than five hours. Nick and Judy had still a full week of vacation – a small present by Bogo himself – but the rest of them had to uphold public policy. When most of the officers had disappeared, Chief Bogo stumbled; he couldn't remember saying goodbye to Clawhauser. After thinking some more, he even couldn't remember hearing him talking during the whole train ride – and it was usually rather difficult for the big cheetah to abstain just for five minutes. He looked around but couldn't see the big silhouette of him. Slowly he started to walk back to his own apartment. ' _Most probably he is buying an early breakfast doughnut in the station…_ ' he thought to himself with a short yawn.

* * *

The big tent on the Hopps farm was nearly empty: The last guests were gone, the leftovers were packed in boxes and brought into the house and the band had dismantled their electronics. There was still some music playing softly through Judy's smartphone. She and Nick were the only ones left, still standing arm in arm on the empty stage, slowly swaying to the same song they shared their first kiss to (YouTube: YmduTltMP5Y). Sven and Evelin left them alone about an hour ago, and since then Judy and Nick were dancing to this song, letting it play in a loop. But since a few minutes, Judy didn't really move by herself, but only leaned against Nick.

"I think we should go to bed, carrots." He whispered into her ear while stroking with his thumb over her head.

"Uh-uh." Judy muttered half-asleep, clinging with her paws into Nick's fur.

The fox smiled softly, hold her embraced in his arms and put his snout between her ears, continuing to sway to the music. It was a long and exhausting day, but he savored each and every moment of it. And even when he was rather tired now – after being awake for nearly 24 hours – he couldn't think of anything better than being alone with Judy in this big tent and slowly dancing to the music. When Judy's paw let loose of his fur and was just hanging down at her side, Nick smiled softly. His _cute_ little bunny had resisted falling asleep as long as she could to draw out this day to its maximum, but the fatigue had finally won. Slowly squatting in front of her, Nick put his arms around Judy's legs and shoulders. When he stood up, holding her tenderly in his arms, Judy's head rolled against his chest and snuggled up to him. On his way out, he took her smartphone and put it in his pocket after switching it off. When he left the tent, the early sunlight was beaming into his eyes and he had to yawn. Holding his little bunny tight in his arms, he started to walk to the house. He expected it to be dark and completely in silence, but most of the windows were already lighted. Just when he arrived at the backdoor of the smallest kitchen, the one that was unused most of the time, Valentina opened the door for him from the inside with a smile.

"Carrying your bride over the door sill?" she winked and Nick replied her smile.

"I'm afraid that I will not only have to carry her over the door sill, but right to our room." He winked at Valentina with a nod to sleeping Judy.

The younger rabbit snickered quietly, than asked: "Can I bring you something? A fresh coffee?"

Nick laughed silently and shook his head. "I think I will accompany her into bed, I'm feeling as falling asleep while standing." Valentina nodded with a smile and went ahead of them, opening the door to the corridor and finally to their room. When she wanted to switch on the light in the room, Nick just shook his head: "I can see perfectly in the dark and don't want Judy to wake up. But..." he started when the rabbit wanted to left the room again, "…maybe you can get a bottle of water and two glasses for us?"

Valentina nod her head with a smile and just two minutes later came back with a small tablet with two cups, a carafe of water and two small pills on a tray. "Just some aspirin … for the worst-case-scenario." She winked and bid goodbye while closing quietly their door.

Nick carefully undressed his wife and wrapped her under the blanket. When he placed himself beside her, Judy instinctively curled herself up against him and put her arms around his body, smiling softly in her sleep. The fox put his fluffy tail around her, laying his snout on her head. While thinking about all what happened that day, he quickly fell asleep, too.

* * *

It was unusually quiet in the conference room of precinct one. Most of the officers despise a small emergency team was at the wedding and had only a few hours slept. Chief Bogo issued everyone a patrol route, no special events happened the last day. When he dismissed his officers and went back to his own office, he sat behind his desk and reclined in his chair, rubbing his eyes with his hooves. When the intercom beeped he grunted and pressed the button.

"Bogo here, what is it Clawhauser?"

"Chief, this is Officer Frank from the nightshift."

Bogo raised his eyebrows, shouldn't the nightshift be replaced by the morning shift by now?

"Sorry, Officer Frank. What can I do for you?"

"It's because of Officer Benjamin Clawhauser, he didn't appear for his shift and we cannot reach him on his phone."

"Damn it, Benjamin…" Chief Bogo murmured.

"Chief?" Frank asked through the intercom.

"I will send a replacement for you and will take care of Officer Clawhauser. Thank you." The chief disconnected the intercom call and took a look at the roster – Officer Jackson, an elder lion, was the substitute on duty for the front desk. He entered the short dial into the phone and ordered Jackson to undertake the early shift at the front desk. After that he took a look in the computer for Clawhauser's private number. They all had a lot of fun at the party last night, but that was not an excuse to miss work. He called the mobile phone, but was redirected to the answering machine immediately. He tried Clawhauser's landline next, but had a free line signal only.

Chief Bogo groaned and rubbed his eyes again with his hooves. He liked the cheetah and didn't want to get him in hot water, but missing his shift was going on his records nevertheless; so he could send a patrol to his address to make sure everything was alright, too. He took the radio:

"Headquarters for Charlie-Zero-Four, come in please!"

After a few seconds the elephant cow answered the call: "Francine here, what is it Chief?"

* * *

Her paw was tickling through the red fur on the fox's belly. Nick smiled happily in his sleep and purred. Judy giggled:

"I thought I had married a fox, not a tomcat." Judy whispered with a seducing voice, tickling through Nick's fur down to his hips, nibbling with her small teeth on his neck. Nick started to grin without opening his eyes, enjoying her touches and scent; she still was in heat but it was also different in a subtle way. He really couldn't say what it was, and it didn't matter to him right now: The fox slowly put his paw around Judy's scut, making her squeak. He silenced her immediately by putting his lips onto hers, giving her a passionate kiss, and the little rabbit sighed with pleasure.

"I wish you were so horny yesterday during our wedding night, carrots…" he whispered into Judy's ear, licking softly on it with his tongue.

"If it were up to me I'd had humped you right on the dancefloor." Judy whispered back to him, rubbing her chin all over Nick's chest to scent-mark him. She heard him whimpering quietly: her scent, especially when in heat, was nothing he could bear for long. And indeed, Nick wasn't hesitating for long: He took her by her arms and floored her onto the bed, kneeling on each side of her body and pinning her down. First he started to kiss her passionately, but then he started to kiss in a trail down her fur along her chest and belly. Judy closed her eyes and moaned quietly, but that didn't stop the fox from licking further over her trembling body.

* * *

Chief Bogo had to make a decision: After Benjamin Clawhauser didn't come to work he send a patrol to his home but the cheetah wasn't there, too. He wasn't really worried, but it was an uncommon behavior; Clawhauser could be somewhat annoying but he was one of his most reliable officers. He wouldn't stay away from work without a good reason or without getting in touch. Currently the chief tried to remember when he saw the cheetah the last time. For a certainty on the party, but he couldn't remember seeing him during the train ride or after it. Could it be, that he never left Bunnyburrow with the rest of his colleagues?

He took his phone again and dialed Judy's number, but it redirected the call immediately to the mailbox. Bogo was swearing something and dialed Nick's number – with the same result. Apparently all his officers had decided to play hide and seek with him. He grumbled and searched for another number in the records…

* * *

It was around lunch time when the phone rang in the Hopps' house. Quite a lot of bunnies were already around, cleaning up the house. Stu Hopps and a few of his oldest children were already dismantling the big tent outside; Bonnie and a few of the younger teens were preparing lunch for everyone, mostly reheating the leftovers from the party. It was Sarah, one of the eleven-year-old daughters, who picked up the phone. After talking for a moment, she ran with the handset into the kitchen to her mother:

"Do we have a missed cheetah in the house, mom?"

Bonnie looked somewhat irritated to her kit and shook her head. "No, of course not!"

Sarah spoke into the handset again: "No, there is no cheetah in our house… of course, wait a second!" She handed the handset to her mother. "It's for you, mom!"

Still somewhat confused Bonnie took the handset: "Bonnie Hopps here?"

"Hello Mrs. Hopps, Chief Bogo from Zootopia here."

"Ahh, hello Mister Bogo! I hope you had a safe trip home, it was rather late when you all left."

"Thank you, Ma'am, yes. But I'm missing one of my Officers, Benjamin Clawhauser, and I cannot remember if he was coming along with us when we left. He missed his shift and I cannot reach him on his phone. He is one of Mister Wilde's groomsman, the big cheetah. I just called to make sure he isn't still with you in Bunnyburrow."

"Oh… I understand. Well, I didn't see him yet, but our burrow is rather big. Maybe he missed the train and stayed overnight."

"Maybe. But I want to be sure before I start a manhunt; at least he is an active officer of the ZPD and missing without notice."

"Of course, I understand, Mister Chief Bogo. We will scour the burrow for your Officer and I will call you back after that. But that may take an hour or two, as I said it's a big house and quite a lot of our kits are still asleep."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hopps. I will await your callback before taking any further action. Best regards to the bride and groom." – the buffalo ended the call impatiently and Bonnie handed the phone back to Sarah.

"You didn't see a big cheetah in our burrow today, did you?" Bonnie asked playfully and the young rabbit shook her head. "Okay, just about three hundred others I need to ask. You could think that such a big predator would attract attention in a bunny burrow…" she pondered.

Bonnie went outside and walked over to her husband.

"Hey, honey!" he said with a big smile, giving his wife a kiss. "We are nearly finished with the tent and most of the tables and benches are already fetched up. I think in a few hours everything will be back to normal."

"That's great, you are faster than I expected. We will have lunch in about half an hour, too. But that's not the reason I wanted to talk to you. Did you see a cheetah, or hear about one staying overnight?"

Stu raised his eyebrows: "One of Nicks groomsman was a cheetah, but I thought all colleagues from Nick and Judy took the train back to Zootopia?"

"Yes, but it seems as if one of them went missing. The buffalo, Chief Bogo, called only just and asked if we know something."

"Mh, I didn't really pay attention on him. There were so many guests yesterday…"

Bonnie nodded. "Maybe he missed the train and some of our children let him stay overnight. We should search the burrow, what do you think?"

Stu nodded thoughtfully. "Let's talk to the kits, they can search the burrow in less than an hour." He smiled with a wink. "At least he wasn't really assessable."

* * *

Judy was laying naked and quite sweaty on top of Nick when their door was suddenly opened by a young rabbit.

"Is a cheetah here with you in the room?" Sarah asked without paying too much attention to the both on the floor.

"N…no?" Judy answered somewhat perplexed.

"Okay. Bye!" Sarah waved and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Nick was staring at the door: "W-what just happened?!"

Judy didn't answer him – she seemed to be solidified and didn't move.

* * *

When Sarah left the guest room she ran straight into Ralph.

"Hey, did you already find a cheetah?" he asked his little sister with a smile.

"No." Sarah smiled. "I'm joining Milah downstairs now."

Ralph looked to the room his sister just left. "Are Judy and Nick awake yet?"

Sarah stopped again and turned her head to Ralph: "Yepp, they are having sex on the floor, but there was no cheetah in there. I'm continuing searching now!" she waved smiling and disappeared around the corner, leaving a confused Ralph behind.

After a few seconds he recovered himself, went to the guest room and knocked.

It took about ten seconds until Nick's voice from behind the door said: "Come in."

When Ralph entered the room, Nick was sitting on the floor with two pillows in front of his chest and in his lap; Judy cowered on the bed under their blanket, both looking still slightly shocked. The rabbit started to grin from ear to ear and leant back against the door frame.

"I guess you two were caught in the act – in the truest sense of the word." He winked and could hardly suppress his laughing.

Judy was still too shocked to say anything, but Nick had contained himself a bit again. "What has Sarah said? I mean, did she…" he discontinued and Ralph answered:

"You mean if she saw her big sister having sex with a fox? Well, at least this is what she told me…" he was still smirking, putting his paws into his pockets.

"Sweetcheeseandcarrots…" Judy mumbled into the blanket, nearly disappearing behind it.

Now Ralph was finally starting to laugh. "Well, it didn't seem to bother her much; and to be realistic I don't think it is the first time she saw you naked Judy, nor that the concept of sex is something new to her. However, a missing cheetah in our burrow is much more interesting at the moment." He winked.

"A missing cheetah?" Nick asked quietly.

"Yep, your groomsman Benjamin seems to be missing and we are searching the burrow if he stayed overnight."

After a short moment Nick murmured jokingly: "Maybe you should ask Jenny, Clara and River. You know, there is some sort of tradition between groomsman and bridesmaids…"

"Nick!" Judy exclaimed a bit shocked, clasping her paws over her mouth.

"Hm, sounds as valid as any other idea." Ralph said with a wink. "At least I saw them dancing together. Well, maybe you two get dressed, mom is preparing lunch and should be ready any minute. I think you two could tolerate a small refreshment." He finally left the room with a wide grin.

* * *

A few dozen rabbits were already sitting at the dining table when Judy entered the room. She was a bit hangover, still somewhat tired and wore a pair of leggings and a blue shirt with long sleeves. Annie waved happily, pointing to a free chair next to her, and Judy took place trying not to attract too much attention.

"Hi, sweetie!" her mother said in a honeyed voice and all heads turned to Judy, cheering and congratulating the newly-wed sister.

"Where is Nicky?" Annie asked eagerly.

"He is helping on the search for Benjamin." Judy smiled to her little sister, then she changed the subject. "Did you enjoyed the party yesterday?"

Annie nodded eagerly: "This was so much fun!"

* * *

Nick was strolling on the outside, trying to pick up the scent of Clawhauser. There were so many guests on the parcel of land the day before that it was really difficult to distinguish any specific scent. Also his own fur was over and over with Judy's scent marks, making it even more difficult to concentrate. He wore his brown trousers together with a green shirt and followed a rather fresh track along the carrot field. About fifty meters away was a barn where mostly bale of straws and some machines for the harvest were stored. When he came near it, he took a long sniff with his nose, but to no avail. The only thing he could definitely smell was Judy – he should have showered before starting the search. Just the moment he turned around to go back to the house, a high-pitched voice called his name:

"Niiihiiiick!"

Nick paused his movement and turned his head around, looking in the direction of the barn where the voice came from. "Benjamin?" he asked doubtfully; and indeed, the big cheetah stuck out his head from behind the barn.

"Oh my goodness, Nick!" Clawhauser shouted rather quietly and Nick ran towards his friend and colleague.

"Ben! What are you doing here?! The whole burrow is searching for you, even Chief Bogo called!" the fox eyed the cheetah closely: He was still in his suit but his fur looked rather messy and Benjamin looked as if he didn't get a lot of sleep and was still hungover to a certain degree.

"Chief Bogo called yet? Oh dear, I am in so much trouble…" Clawhauser was whining and let himself drop onto the ground. Nick squatted beside him, putting his arm around Benjamin's shoulders.

"What happened, Ben?"

"I don't know! I think I did some terrible mistake!"

"Come on, just tell me what you can remember and we will sort out everything." Nick smiled encouraging, patting his friend on the shoulder again.

"Well, I really drank too much yesterday. I was kidding around with … others, and suddenly Bogo and the others were already gone! I didn't know what to do but … they … offered I could stay overnight."

"Wait a second, Ben." Nick interrupted him smiling. "Who offered you to stay?"

"Those cute little rabbits I was dancing with…" he murmured.

"Judy's bridesmaids? Jenny, River and Clara?" Nick started to smirk and Clawhauser nodded heavily.

"We were really only dancing and talking about this and that, Nick! I promise! But I had too many drinks, and they said when I stay overnight I could drink some more."

"Well, it was a party so having drinks and some fun was totally intended." Nick winked. "But why are you hiding here now and not in the house?"

"I waaaas…" Benjamin said worried. "I mean, I have no idea when and how I got into it, there is a big blackout in my head!"

"Alcohol sometimes has this effect." Nick was remembering one or two parties in his past when he woke up two days later without any knowledge of what happened; he could empathize with the cheetah right now.

"Yes, but when I woke up in the morning, I was laying on the floor of a bedroom without my suit! And there were three rabbits sleeping, too!"

"Well, sleeping in a suit is quite inconvenient and I guess the rabbits were the bridesmaids who offered you to sleepover." Nick winked to him, but Clawhauser fiercely shook his head.

"But Niiiiick… they were all naked and our clothes were distributed all over the room!"

Nick raised his eyebrows, then laughed. "Well? Seemed as if someone had a lucky night. But that still doesn't explain why you are hiding here."

"But don't you understand? I have no idea what happened last night! And woke up with three of Judy's sisters, naked! I totally panicked, grabbed all of my clothes I could find and rushed out of the room! I managed to don't encounter anyone else, but I have lost my phone and wallet. Probably I missed them in the bedroom, but I couldn't creep back into the house because more and more rabbits were awake! So I hide here and hoped that I would see you or Judy! Oh Niiiick, you have to help me! If Mr. Hopps finds out what I did with his daughters, I will get skinned by him! And Chief Bogo is going to fire me! Oh Nick, I'm really desperate for your help!"

Nick started to grin, Benjamin's story was so fanciful he wasn't sure if he should laugh or not. But when he watched his old friend being a picture of misery, he pulled himself together with a small grin and stood up again, reaching out with his arm to him.

"I think I get an idea, but first let's go back to the house. Someone said something about lunch and I think we are both in need of a small refreshment." Nick said while helping Clawhauser getting up to his feet.

"But Nick! What about Mr. Hopps?"

"Wherefrom should he know what happened when neither you nor his daughters are going to tell him? And I really doubt that those young ladies are telling their parents about each and every affair they got." He winked, put his arm around Clawhauser's shoulders and they both started to walk back to the house. "And finally, you don't even know if anything happened at all."

"Oh, Nick…" Clawhauser whimpered.

* * *

"Make sure that he takes the next express to Zootopia and tell him, he has a double shift this evening! I will have a talk with him tomorrow dead on seven o'clock!" – Chief Bogo sounded alarmingly calm while Judy talked to him on the phone. She had no opportunity to advocate her friend and colleague further when the Chief ended the call.

When Judy walked back into the big living room, Nick was sitting with Clawhauser on a couch. The cheetah was eating a piece of cake and having a hot coffee while Judy's husband was watching him with a sly smile. The rabbit walked over to them and sat beside Benjamin.

"Hey, Ben! I've talked with Bogo. You have a double shift tonight and a one-to-one with him tomorrow morning on seven o'clock." – the cheetah started to whimper again. "Keep calm, you are one of our most reliable officers and he will not fire you for missing a shift." She smiled softly to him.

"The roasting will be even worse than being fired." Clawhauser puled.

Nick snickered quietly and Judy bowed her head to the side: "Now that I have talked to Bogo, don't you want to tell me what really happened last night?"

"What do you mean, Judy?" Clawhauser asked with an unnatural high-pitched voice.

"Come on, you cannot blow smoke on me, Ben. I'm one of our best interrogation officers because I'm always knowing when someone is lying to me." She winked with a smile.

"And still, she has married me." Nick snickered and Judy looked with a sly smirk to him, then back to the cheetah. But Benjamin just kept his head lowered, nipping on his coffee.

"Oh, here is your wallet and your smartphone, too. Maybe you should recharge it before taking the train, I can lend you my charger." Judy took the wallet and the phone from her pocket and put it on the coffee table with a sneaky smile.

Clawhauser replied her look startled: "Where did you find them?"

"Oh, I didn't find them but Clara. You have to ask her." Judy winked, then she twitched her ears with a side-glance to Nick: His poker face was perfect, but she noticed the subtle change of his heartbeat when she mentioned Clara's name. Well, she would ask him about it later.

"When does the next express depart from the railway station?" Benjamin asked while clenching his phone and wallet with his paws.

Judy took a look at the old grandfather clock. "In about three minutes." She smiled. "And the next one in about two hours. So you still have some time, maybe you get a shower and I will organize you a train ticket and some packet lunch."

Nick picked Clawhauser's phone from his paws with a quick movement. "I will get this charged for you in the meantime. You will never survive a two-hour train ride without your Gazelle albums." He winked at him and jumped off the couch.

* * *

Judy and Nick were standing at the platform on Bunnyburrow station and waving goodbye to Clawhauser while the train directing Zootopia was leaving. While slowly walking arm in arm back to the car, Judy said smiling:

"Poor Benjamin, Bogo will tear him his spots off for this tomorrow."

"Maybe, but only because he had not as much fun as him." Nick laughed.

"Do you think so?" Judy asked and Nick just shrugged his shoulders with a smile. They walked a few meters in silence. Finally, she said: "I hope she was worth it."

"How do you know it was a 'she'?" Nick snickered and they both stopped in front of Judy's parent's pickup-truck.

"Oh, I have a close idea." Judy hopped backwards onto the bonnet, watching Nick with a sly grin. "And I bet you know more than you admitted."

"So? I wouldn't bet on it, carrots." Nick put his arms around her neck and replied her grin.

"I would always put my chips on you, foxtrot." She winked. "Who was it? One of my sisters?" Nick didn't answer her and continued to grin, but his heartbeat was telling her everything she need to know. "Well, I guessed so. That explains why he was hiding outside the house." Judy chuckled. "One of the bridesmaids?"

"Would you please stop interrogating me, carrots?" Nick laughed.

"Oh, bull's eye on first guess!" Judy grinned even wider. But to narrow it down, she need a ground line for his reactions. "I don't think it was Evelin?" Nick snorted but Judy could determine his regular heartbeat. "Well, that leaves it to just one of three. Either River…", she listened carefully and Nick just grinned at her, "...Clara, or Jenny."

Nick's reaction caused Judy furrowed brows. He was definitely reacting but she couldn't distinguish between the three names. "Come on, carrots." Nick winked at her, "They are all adults and whatever happened, I'm sure they had a lot of fun."

"You know exactly what happened, don't you?" Judy returned his winking. "It was Clara, right? After all she was it who found his phone and wallet!" Nick kept silent and Judy raised her eyebrows. "Or was it Jenny? She is in heat, isn't she?!" Nick still kept his poker face and grinned at her. "River?! Oh Nick! You tell me!" – Judy was irritated; why couldn't she identify Nick's telltale this time? Then she suddenly raised her eyes wide open. "Or was it not only one of them?" – there was it, the slightly different heartbeat! "Two of them? No… all three at once?" she clasped her paws over her mouth, giggling.

Nick snickered, it was always fascinating to see Judy's interrogation technique in action, but it was even more incredible when she demonstrated it with himself. He would have sworn that he didn't give a single hint about what he was thinking, but Judy's instinct was like a guided missile and nearly never missed its target. And she was getting better and faster each time! Nick loved those little games between them…

"To be fair, Benjamin has actually no idea what happened exactly." He gave her a lovely kiss on the tip of her nose.

"What do you mean, has he really a blackout?" Judy wrapped her legs around the fox' hip and pulled him towards her. He nod his head with a grin and the rabbit punched him against the shoulder. "Come on, what did he tell you?"

"Well, when he missed the train, your three sisters offered him to stay overnight and got him sloshed. I guess, those bunnies were already three sheets to the wind, too. And this morning, Ben woke up with nothing more than a headache; his clothes spread around in your sister's bedroom, together with your nude and cute bunny-sisters. He couldn't remember anything and panicked."

Judy snorted during Nick's narration and started to laugh out loud when he finished. "Oh, I could totally imagine his face when he woke up to this picture. But it doesn't say anything, most of us are accustomed to sleep naked." she winked.

Nick shrugged but grinned himself. "And just to your information, carrots. Jenny isn't the only rabbit who is in heat, all three of them are; just like a quarter of your sisters."

"Oh my gosh!" Judy laughed even harder, dashing away a tear with her paw. "And you have to bear all those pheromones, how comes you are not laying twitching on the floor?"

Nick's smile softened and there was suddenly a moony glance in his eyes. "Oh Judy, you have yet a lot to learn about us foxes." – when Judy tilted her head, he continued. "All those bunnies with all their pheromones are nothing more than a disturbing scent in the air. I recognize it, but my body doesn't have a specific reaction to it. It's only the scent of my life-mate that is flooding my whole head with endorphins and letting me act like a fool." He tried to play cool, but Judy was already aware of his true feelings and stroked over his cheek, smiling.

"So, I'm the only cute little bunny that makes you laying on the floor, twitching?"

"You are the only one for me in every respect, Judy."

They shared both an endearingly kiss, then Judy slowly said:

"Well… regarding Clawhauser…" she giggled, "Do you think I should talk with my little sisters to get at the truth?"

Nick waved the idea aside with his paw. "Nah, I think we should leave it at that. Keep your breath to cool your own porridge, as Finnick always told me." He took his rabbit by her hip and lifted it from the bonnet.

"So be it." Judy snickered and they entered the car to drive back home.

* * *

Clawhauser was sitting in his compartment, listening to Gazelle on his phone and peering out of the window. He would arrive in Zootopia in about half an hour and had just enough time to change clothes at home before he had to get to work. The chief would turn him upside down tomorrow, and he couldn't even remember a single thing. He freaked for a second when his phone received a new message and beeped. But it was just an invitation to a photo-sharing-site with subject to the wedding. He flipped through the pictures and smiled, it really was a great wedding! And Nick and Judy were just so cute!

At the end of the gallery was a link to upload own photos to the page. "Why not…" Clawhauser shrugged, clicked the link and browsed through his own photos on the phone. He made quite a lot of pictures, but only a few were good enough to be shared. After uploading a few of them, he reached the photos made during the evening of the party. For a while he just flipped through them, but when he reached the last few pictures made with his phone before the battery died, his eyes grew wide and startled he put a paw in front of his mouth.

"Oh my goodness…!"


	20. 2x09 - The game is on!

_"Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth." – Sherlock Holmes_

* * *

When Judy and Nick returned from the train station in the afternoon, most of the Hopps menage was already back to normal. The big tent was gone as well as all evidence of the party outside of the house. While entering the burrow chitchatting, they nearly tripped over a dozen small bunnies playing tag.

"No running inside the house!" Stu shouted but to little avail, the kits just stormed down the chairs to the lower floors. "Did Ben get his train hassle-free?" he turned his head to the two newcomer.

"Yep, even if you could think he was on his way to the slaughterhouse." Nick said with a smirk, but immediately lost his facial expression to a slightly shocked one. "I.. I mean.." Nick was embarrassed searching for words, but Stu just chuckled.

"Just an old school phrase, it's okay Nick."

"Well, I will try to watch my tongue better in the future." He smiled.

Judy walked over to a few siblings doing the dishes in the meanwhile, helping them.

"And how long will you stay here?" Valentina asked with a smile while handing her older sister some wet dishes.

"We didn't speak about it yet, but a few days for sure."

"Any plans for your honeymoon?" Christine asked.

"Not as far as I know, but three days ago I didn't even know that I would be married by today. I have a difficulty planning ahead for more than a few hours at the moment." Judy laughed and her sisters joined in.

"Is it allowed to share a good laughing here?" Nick asked with a sly grin, standing right behind the three Hopps sisters with his paws in his pockets.

"We were just asking for your plans the upcoming days." Valentina snickered.

"And I said that I'm not the one they should ask after my plans for the weekend looked slightly different than this…" she rotated her paw in the sunlight coming through the kitchen window and her wedding ring was sparkling within the light.

Nick laughed lightly and smiled. "I didn't plan much into the future than today. Getting an additional week of vacation from Bogo came as a surprise for me, too. But if your parents are okay with it, I would love to spend a few quiet days on the country side." He winked and gave Judy a nice and quick kiss on her forehead. Without hesitating he took the already dried plates and put them into a kitchen cabinet.

As a foursome it took the group just about half an hour to finish the 200 dishes. Christine and Valentina thanked both, Judy and Nick, for their help and discussed what they should do with the additional free time. Valentina voted for a movie in the cinema – something with a strange doctor – and Christine eagerly agreed.

Judy slowly shook her head, suppressing a yawn. "Sorry, sis', but I would sleep-in in the dark and cozy cinema, it was a short night ye' know."

The younger sisters snickered and walked down to ask a few other bunnies if they would accompany them.

"Judy, my dear!" Bonnie Hopps was entering the kitchen in a fast walk, "would you mind coming with me for a second?" she smiled and signaled her daughter with a paw to follow her.

"No time to rest, then." Judy winked with a smile to Nick and followed her mother. "I'm on my way, what is it mom?"

As the two ladies left the room, Nick was the last one in there. He took an apple from the fruit basket and slowly made his way to the big living room – the heart of the burrow. He wasn't really tired, but a bit weary. As it was a normal weekday, most of the adult members of the family were working. The teens were doing their homework after school and stayed in their rooms deep down in the burrow, leaving the living room to just a few bunnies reading or playing with the smallest of the family. When Lucas saw him entering the room, he hopped from the small group of other rabbits, all between three and five years, trying to catch Nick's tail. With a laugh the fox played along and let the little rabbit hunt for it for a while. When he finally fetched it, he embraced it with a huge grin and Nick squatted beside him to take him on his arms. But that proofed to be a big mistake: Now all other bunnies were also running in his direction, wanting to play with Nick's tail and getting their part of attention by him. Under some laughter the fox collapsed onto the wooden floor with all nine rabbits 'attacking' him.

* * *

When Judy followed her mother into their parent's private bedroom, Stu Hopps was already waiting at his desk. The moment he noticed them, he looked up from the paperwork and smiled.

"So, what's so important?" Judy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you know your old folks are still a bit old fashioned, loving traditions and so on." Stu began. "And even when you decide to broke with nearly every single one…" he winked at his daughter and Judy rolled her eyes with a smirk. "…we try to keep up with you."

"What your dad wants to say so eloquently, is that we are a bit in a conflict." Bonnie added, stand next to her husband and put her arm around him.

Judy slowly sat down on the bed, looking at her parents with a questioning look. "What is it you are worrying about?"

"Your dowry of course, my dear!" Stu said with a serious look on his face.

"My… what?! Come on, you are joking, right?"

"No, of course not, darling!" Bonnie smiled and Stu went on.

"You know that every of our kits get a parcel of land from us to start their own burrow and their shares on the business. It's a tradition for hundreds of years!"

Judy wanted to object, but her mother was quicker: "Don't worry, we know exactly that you are not going to move back here and start a burrow…"

"Despise it would be rather funny to see a rabbit and a fox making a burrow of its own." Stu chuckled, but Bonnie continued with a blaming look to the side.

"…and you want to stay at the force for sure instead of going into the farming business."

"And this, little lady, brings us back to our small problem here." Stu finished and his wife nodded agreeing.

Judy was totally caught flat-footed by her parents, who were still smiling at her while holding each other's paws.

"Come on Mom. Dad!" she finally said disbelieving. "I don't need a dowry! You already organized the whole wedding and all!"

Her parents exchanged a knowing look and Judy raised her arms into the air.

"What?!"

Stu was the first to answer her: "We knew you would react this way, Jude." He winked while his wife nodded her head, then finished:

"And we have a suggestion for you, that you may want to discuss with your husband at least."

* * *

When Judy went to the living room searching for Nick, she saw Evelin leaning in the door frame of the big room, looking inside.

"Hey, Mrs. Brooks! What's so interesting in there?" she asked her sister from behind, and Evelin turned her head around grinning.

"Look for yourself, Mrs. Wilde." She nearly whispered and waved her paw as a signal for Judy to come closer. On first sight there was nothing special, a few siblings here and there reading or talking with each other's. But when her look finally went to a small couch in the corner near the chimney, she knew what Evelin was talking about. Nick was laying curled up on the sofa. All around, within his tail and even on top of him where nearly two dozen of her smallest brothers and sisters, listening to the fox reading a fairytale from one of the books. He even changed his voice when he read the different characters. Judy stood beside Evelin, just watching them in silence. When Evelin made a side-glance to her older sister, she noticed Judy's looks on her:

"Put your paw on it, sis. You can already feel them kicking from time to time." She smiled while looking down on her pregnant belly. Judy didn't hesitate for long and carefully stroked over it, letting out a quiet 'aww' when she felt the kicking by herself, quickly starting to giggle. The latest draw Nick's attention to them; he smiled, then continued to read the story, imitating a scared old lady with a high-pitched voice.

Evelin made a gesture with her head for Judy to follow her, and they walked into the room. Beside Vince, who read a fantasy book, was enough room on another couch and both rabbits took place.

"It was a great wedding and party, wasn't it?" Evelin beamed with joy to Judy who nodded likewise.

"Definitely!" she grinned to her younger sister. "I still cannot believe that all of this really happened! The whole weekend was sooo crazy, wasn't it?"

"Absolutely! I still feel like being on cloud nine." Evelin leaned her head against Judy's shoulder while her sister was crawling over her head and arm. "But actually, I'm also glad it's finally over. The last two weeks were rather stressful and those four little buddies …" – she nodded to her belly – "…are already keeping me on my toes before they are even born." When Judy looked inquiring, she added: "It's difficult to keep up with everyone when you are out of puff rather quickly. Also nothing is tasting normally at the moment, and still I get munchies on the strangest things. And I guarantee you: My bladder cannot even hold a single glass of water anymore until I have to run to the bathroom. If you could call that waddling even running!"

Judy's grin grew wider and wider during Evelin's talking, and when she finished she just answered with imitating the ribbit of a duck. Eve punched her onto a leg and both chimed in into a quiet laughing.

"You really look beautiful, Eve." Judy smiled while crawling over her sister's belly.

"Thank you, I'm feeling great, too!" she smiled beaming. After a short moment of silence and a side-glance to Nick, who was still concentrating his attention to storytelling, Evelin turned her head to Judy, looking her into the purple eyes. "Did you ever contemplate it?"

Judy stayed quite for a while, thinking about the question. Did she thought about getting kits? Of course, it was quite naturally for a rabbit! But after moving to Zootopia that faded into the background. She always wanted to exceed in everything she started, and her main-goal was her career as a police officer. Well, it was at least. Before dating Nick, she wasn't too interested in romantic relationships. Evelin assumed often during their muzzle calls, that she was never interested in other rabbits because of her pred-prey-bias without knowing it. Being a great officer was still a high priority, but her relationship with Nick started to be, too, even overtaking her other goals since. But still, she didn't really consider starting her own family. It didn't feel like being the right time back then.

"I think the point of inflection was when Nick told me that you are pregnant the day after your visit; when you told us that you and Sven were going to marry." Judy finally said thoughtfully.

"Seems like ages ago now." Evelin snickered. "When was it, two weeks ago?"

Judy nodded with a smile. "Of course I was really happy for you! A bit jealous because of the wedding proposal, maybe." She winked and Eve laughed. "But that night I couldn't sleep. I was watching Nick sleeping on the other side of our bed the whole night. And everything I could think of was if we would ever have a 'real' family together; and what it would be to have our own biological kits against all odds: a rabbit and a fox, predator and prey, living inside the big city and we both working at the force."

"And what was your conclusion, big sis?" Evelin smiled, already knowing the answer based on her facial expression.

Judy sighed bemused: "Yeah… try everything and so on. And the realization, that this would be a goal I cannot achieve alone, by sheer force of will or just working hard. We would have to act in concert, and I wasn't sure if Nick was up for it." She giggled, "The marriage did help, though."

"What are you two waiting for, then?" Eve smiled softly.

"As I already told you, interspecies pregnancies don't work with conventional methods most of the time. So you have to actively plan it, making appointments with the doctor, all those natural things suddenly became just sterile and technical. It's all a lot more difficult then."

"You mean, you can simply have as much fun as you want without thinking about any consequences and postpone the decision more and more to the future." Eve winked and Judy rolled her eyes; but then answered sheepishly:

"More or less, yes."

Evelin turned her head again to take a look at Nick. "I don't think you two should wait for too long." She looked back at Judy and smiled. "You really will be fantastic parents, against all odds as you called it. I guarantee it to you!"

Judy sighed dreamily, then laughed. "Enough already. Your hormones are starting to influence even me! You really have to finish that pregnancy, soon."

Evelin chimed in to the laughing when suddenly someone behind the couch asked:

"What's so funny, ladies?"

"Sven!" Evelin smiled from ear to ear, raised her head and the both rabbits shared a soft kiss. "Come on, take a seat and share a calm moment with us, my dear."

* * *

They were all sitting together in the big kitchen, eating sandwiches and some salad for dinner, and telling stories they experienced throughout the day.

Patrick was discussing the loudest at the moment: "I'm telling you the way it is! She hunted her poor husband up and down the street with a rolling pin, throwing a tantrum for nearly twenty minutes!" The other rabbits listening to him were laughing, some shaking their head in astonishment.

"It's what, the fourth time she caught him cheating?" Andreas asked curiously.

"The fifth time even!" Patrick smirked slightly.

"He is a fool to betray Patricia, she is such a lovely sheep, always helping out on the market." Maika said with a frown.

"I would have left him after the first time: Once a creep, always a creep!" Beatrice chimed in.

"Don't forget you only know one side of the medal, maybe she isn't such a lovely sheep behind closed doors." Robert shrugged his shoulders.

A few rabbits started to bat the subject around all at the same time, and the attention shifted to other stories.

"Someone broke into Mr. Barneys dental clinic last night; can you believe this?" Violetta started to talk eagerly. She was making an internship at Doctor Barney, a rabbit who was the only dentist in Bunnyburrow since nearly thirty years. It was no real secret that Violetta had a crush on his son, who started to work there, too. Most probably he would overtake his' father's business in a few years.

"A burglary?" Judy's ears were erected when she overheard her sister talking and her attention was shifting immediately. "What was stolen? Drugs or instruments? Or even case files of the patients?"

"Nothing like that! And that's the real mystery!" Violetta continued excitedly. "They broke a window but the only thing that was stolen was a bust of Arthur McCoy!"

Judy raised her eyebrows: "The founder of Bunnyburrow? Was it a valuably bust?"

"Ha! Valuably? My foot! It was just a cheap plaster copy of the original marble bust that's exhibited in the town hall. But there is more to it than that!" Violetta proudly added when she realized she had Judy's whole attention.

"That is?" Nick stepped in with a soft smile but not appealing much interested. A stolen plaster bust of Bunnyburrows founder didn't sound like a serious crime.

"They found the bust behind his house, shattered on the floor right below of a small lantern!"

"So, our thief did not only have a bad taste, but was also a clumsy fellow, losing his whole loot just around the corner." The fox laughed amused and most of the other rabbits chimed in.

"Yeah!" Violetta giggled, "Mr. Barney was so exasperated, he called the police and canceled all appointments in the morning. Sheriff Darcy had quite something to deal with, especially when he said that three other busts were vandalized in the two nights before; but that he was not too sure that they would ever get hold of the thief."

While most of her siblings were giggling, picturing how Sheriff Darcy tried to calm down a furious Doctor Barney, Judy appeared reflective.

"You say, someone broke into four buildings for three nights in a row, stealing – and destroying – nothing more but a valueless plaster copy of Arthur McCoy?"

"Isn't that funny?" Violetta laughed. "And they make such a drama out of it! Oh, and when his son Marc was coming into the clinic, he first invited me to a coffee at the café around the corner. To calm my nerves after that hectic morning, as he said…" she giggled and continued to fancy of the younger rabbit, most other siblings listening carefully.

But Judy's unerring instinct started to ponder the information she just heard. Why would someone break into a house and take the risk of being caught for nothing more than a cheap plaster copy of a bust? And he – or she – didn't even kept the busts but shattered them just after their successful burglary. That didn't make any sense, even for a farm town like Bunnyburrow. And something that doesn't make sense was for Judy like an itching spot she couldn't reach with her paws.

Nick, who sat beside Judy, watched her picking absentmindedly in her salad for quite a while. It was quite obvious, that this cute little bunny cop was already mentally hunting down the victim. For him the whole story was something obscure that sometimes happen in small towns. Maybe some fraternity pledging or just a weirdo. However, nothing that he was thinking about too much; if it were not for Judy.

"I think your salad has surrendered already, fluff." He quietly said into her ear, putting his own paw onto hers.

"Mh? Oh… yeah, I think you're right." She smiled and put down the fork. "Doesn't this story of a vandalizing burglar, specialized on plaster copies of an old guy, sounds strange to you, Nick?" They talked rather quietly to not disturb the others during dinner.

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe he really hates this Arthur McCoy guy?"

"And risk being captured to destroy a few of those busts? Nearly everyone in Bunnyburrow has at least one of those cheesy busts or at least paintings of McCoy. Why is he or she breaking in just now? And why these buildings? And why only destroying the busts and nothing more?" Judy was counting with her fingers the different questions she had in her mind, and Nick smiled with a chuckle.

"What do you think, Officer Hopps…" Nick began, but then hesitated. "Or is it Officer Wilde now? Or even Hopps-Wilde? Long-Eared-Wilde? Or Grey-Wilde! Like in 50-Shades-of-… OUCH!"

"You wanted to suggest something?" Judy interrupted him with a punch against his shoulder, already having a smirk on her face.

"Well, I wanted to suggest a short visit to Sheriff Darcy tomorrow morning to get some first-hand-information. Just for academically reasons, of course. We are on vacation at least." Nick winked with a sly grin, rubbing his shoulder, and Judy kissed him immediately.

"Great idea, Officer Fox-Hopps!"

"Ugh. Okay, we definitely have to discuss this naming thing before it gets out of control." Nick sighed playfully and Judy giggled.

* * *

When dinner was finished, Judy and Nick said goodbye to the rest of the Hopps' and retreated into their guest room. Judy sat on the bed cross-legged while Nick was carrying a big basket with dozens of envelopes and even a few small gift boxes. The bunny started to clap excitedly with her paws.

"Isn't it touching how many mammals actually cared to congratulate us? We must reply to all of them manually written! Just to show them how much we appreciated their good wishes!" she grinned from ear to ear and Nick already rolled his eyes.

"Manually written? Are you serious?" he sighed. "That must be more than hundred envelopes!"

"Come on, that will be fun!" Judy grabbed a notepad with a pen from the nightstand. "You can read the letter out aloud and I will write down the name of the sender, maybe with a short summary! What do you say?" she beamed with joy and Nick couldn't do anything but reply her smile.

"So be it, carrots." He gave her a kiss while sitting beside her on the bedside, putting down the basket in front of them. With a dramatic gesture he took the first card and opened it with one of his claws, making Judy purr seductively.

"Ooh, what an edged claw you have there… be careful that nobody gets hurt!"

Nick's nose twitched slightly, sensing Judy's pheromones having an outburst again – but her heat cycle was nearly over again, as he noticed thankfully. Being caught red handed by Judy's sister this morning remembered him that there was always a chance someone storms into the room suddenly. The rabbits in the burrow just weren't accustomed to knock before entering a room; nothing dramatic, but quite a mood killer.

"If you insist, I will eagerly show you all of my claws and what I can do with them…" he winked, happily postponing the congratulation letters for some sexy time.

"Then, you better hurry with those…" she pointed with her foot to the basket and winked slyly. Business before pleasure, foxtrot."

With a resigned sigh he lowered his ears and reluctantly took the letter out of the already opened envelope.

"Getting married is like going to drama school. May there be more comedy than melodrama. Congrats! – by Dora, Tom and Emily Croach" he read aloud the card with a grin, then raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and they even put fifty Zollars in it!"

Judy laughed and wrote down their names, including the amount of gifted money, while Nick put the bank notes into a small box on the nightstand and the letter on a new stack beside him. Then he took the next one:

"We are so happy to welcome a new family member. Best wishes to you both!" Nick grinned, "And the card is signed by one, two, three, …" – he continued to count silently, then finally said: "Twenty-One of your siblings, as far as I can say from at least three litters. And they put twenty-one five Zollar notes into it…" Nick was rubbing the back of his Neck with a contrite smile, but Judy didn't notice it while writing down all names of her siblings.

"Okay, the next one?" she looked excitedly when she finished her notes.

"Thank you for inviting me to share in this day with you and your family. Best wishes! – by Gideon Grey, and he also put fifty Zollars in it!" – he continued to read those cards and Judy putting all names and the amount of money in her notebook.

"Oh, this one is from our coworkers, carrots!" Nick grinned after looking at one of the last cards. "Thanks for inviting us to eat and drink while you get married. Our marriage advice: Love, honor and… scrub the toilet! – signed by the whole squat. And 250 Zollars, oh my goodness!"

Judy laughed while reading the card for herself to get all names correctly written down.

There were just two envelopes left, and Judy didn't missed how Nick hesitated the whole while to pick them up. Now they were the last ones, he slowly grabbed the first one but didn't open it immediately.

"What's the matter with those, Nick? Do you know from whom they are?" Judy asked curiously and her husband nodded slowly.

"I would recognize those scents everywhere. This one is from my mother…", he looked down to the last envelope in the basket, "…and that one is from Finnick."

Judy nodded slowly, understanding his hesitation. "Do you want me to read them aloud?"

Nick slowly nodded and handed her the first envelope. Judy carefully opened it, took out the letter and read it out aloud: "What a wonderful addition to our family! I'm so happy to share in your celebration, and I know that your Dad, Nicholas, would feel exactly the same. Congratulations!"

Nick smiled and sighed contented, putting his head on Judy's shoulder while she wrote down Martha's name smiling. But when she angled for the last envelope, Nick gulped and Judy heard his heart beating faster. She knows exactly what was going on: Finnick was for over ten years the best friend of Nick, but he never got the hang with Nick joining the force. They hardly talked anymore and Finnick even refused to be Nick's best man for the wedding. It was getting her husband an upset stomach and he seems to be clearly afraid what the small fennec fox was writing.

Judy patted Nick supporting on his arm, then opened the last envelope:

"Love is all you need… stick with that crap and you'll do great!" she read out aloud, then took something else from the envelope and showing it to Nick with a smile: Two tickets to a baseball game, best seats, occurring in a few weeks, and with a hand-signed note: 'Don't be late with your fluffy bunny, I had to redeem a lot of favors for those tickets and don't want to watch the game alone in the end!'

"Aww… come here…" Judy smiled brightly and embraced Nick with a hug. The fox really had some tears in the corners of his eyes and couldn't say anything. "You foxes are so emotionally!" she crawled along his neck and heard Nick giggle while snuffling quietly.

"Dumb bunny."

After a few moments of cuddling they got off of the bed, putting all the money and letters into a drawer of the small desk. While Judy was calculating the sum of all gifts in her notebook, Nick throw the envelopes away and put the basket back into a corner. When she presented her result to him, he started to rub his neck again and smiled halfhearted. Judy tilted her head:

"What's the matter, Nick?"

"Do we really have to keep all that money?" the fox said compunctiously, and when recognizing Judy's confused looks, he added: "At least that from your family! All your brothers and sisters and especially your parents did so much for us to make this a really special day, I really have a sore conscience accepting all those gifts, too!"

"Nick…" Judy sighed with a smile and put down the notebook. She still had not talked with him about the offer from her parents regarding her 'dowry', because she felt it could be a little inconvenient. Now she was sure that this would be a much more sensible topic to discuss with him than she thought initially.

"You can try to give it back to them, but make sure that I will be your sole heir in your last will." She tried it with humor and snickered, but Nick's spirits didn't lift. Judy sighed: "What is wrong with getting some presents from your friends and family with all their heart? You cannot be too pride for this, are you?"

Nick let his shoulders sank and walked over to the bed, sitting down. Judy followed him and took place on his lap, putting her arm around his neck and crawling with the other one his tail.

"Nick?" she asked after a while, sounding a bit worried.

"I don't want anyone to think, that the calculating fox is exploiting you and your family's generosity!" he sighed. "I would have been as happy to pay all of the wedding and party by myself with my savings; but they refused unwaveringly to accept any money from me! I finally settled for it, taking it as their more than generous wedding gift. But I cannot accept all those gifts from your siblings, too, it's way too much!"

Judy started to frown.

"Okay, foxtrot. First, they are not gifting you, but the two of us. Second, it's a tradition that comes from the heart and expresses their affection. Third, nobody in my family is considering that you are taking advantage of the situation and exploiting us! Fourth!" – Judy's voice was getting louder and angrier – "I'm whether a poor country bunny you have to rescue, nor some kind of prima donna! You don't have to carry me all around on your paws and pay for everything! And most importantly fifth…", Judy's voice softened again and she pulled Nick's face to hers with a paw, looking him directly in his emerald-green eyes. "I love you as exactly the sly fox and smooth operator you always tried to be, and the faithful and reliable friend you are. Come what may…" she kissed him softly and Nick smiled.

"Thank you. I think all those emotionally bunnies around us are starting to rub off on me." He laughed quietly and returned the kiss to Judy.

"And I'm starting to get an identity crisis who of us is the predator and who the prey." Judy answered snickering.

"Hmm, let me see…" Nick put his paw thoughtfully on his lip and seemed to think about it. Then he started to slyly grin, pulling out a claw from his paw and sliced Judy's shirt open in such a quick movement that it made her squeak. She playfully pulled her most cute and anxious face, paws put together as would she plead and with her eyes wide opened. Nick slowly licked with his tongue over his fangs, snarling quietly with a wolfish look on his face. Judy's body was trembling with excitement and her scut was twitching nervously under his other paw. When he dashed forward, the small rabbit screwed up her eyes, but instead of a deadly bite into her throat Nick pressed his lips onto hers, kissing her passionately.

* * *

After a quick breakfast the next morning, Judy and Nick walked down the path to the bus station. It was a balmy autumn day and they decided to enjoy the walk in fresh air. A look at the bus timetable forecasted a waiting time of nine minutes, so they sat down on the wooden bench, leaning against each other.

"I talked with my parents earlier." Judy said after a while. "They consider themselves lucky if we want to stay a few more days. How does that grab you?"

"Free room and board, idyllic rural life, you and your family, … sounds good to me." Nick grinned.

"A few household tasks, playing with my younger siblings, more bunnies in heat, …" Judy continued his list and winked prankfully, but Nick just waved her addendum aside.

"That's in good order with me, carrots. It's good to get out of the city from time to time and slow down life, don't you think?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to life on the country side fulltime anymore. I like the quick heartbeat of the city."

"I didn't say I want to move here, fluff." Nick snickered. "But I have to admit that I like our regular timeouts here, too."

Judy smiled a bit nervously: "That is really convenient, you know?"

Nick raised his eyebrow a bit. "What do you mean, carrots?"

"Well…" Judy began but in the same moment their bus arrived and she eagerly hopped from the bench. "Later! Let's go to town, first. I'm really curious for some more details about our lunatic McCoy-robber." Before Nick could reply anything, his wife already leaped into the bus and bought two tickets. He followed her slowly with a smile and they both took place on the rear bench seat. There were about a dozen other passengers, most of them probably on their way to work.

"I thought, we should make a round through the burrow this afternoon to thank all your siblings in person for their gifts and cards. And when we are in town we can buy some writing paper and envelopes for our replies to all other guests."

"Good idea, I think Miss Sanders stationary shop should have everything in stock that we need!" She took out her smartphone and opened the picture hub. "We should choose a picture from the wedding that we can copy and enclose with the letter, that's always a nice memory."

"Mh… good idea, let's see what we have there." Nick glanced over to Judy's screen where she was already flipping through the gigantic gallery of 7.543 photos, uploaded by all of their guests. The ones made by the committed photographer had a special tag they could search for and after a quick search they found the ones in front of the community hall after the wedding ceremony. While they were still flicking through the gallery, their bus arrived at the marketplace.

"Oh, we are already there, quick!" Judy jumped off her seat as quick as if stung by an adder and leaped out of the door. Nick followed her without hurry and pointed to a nearby café.

"Should we take a hot coffee before going to the police station? We still have to pick out a photo." He winked and Judy sighed.

"Fine. But only a coffee, no blueberry muffin!" she wagged her finger and Nick pulled a sulky face.

"Party pooper." Nick turned around, walking to the small café, Judy following him with a small grin.

After they took a seat and placed their order – a coffee for Nick and a hot chocolate for Judy – they gave their attention back to Judy's phone. Finally, they had brought it down to two pictures:

The first one showed them standing side by side, their bodies slightly turned to each other. Their heads were facing, too, with a far-away and perfectly happy smiling. Judy hold her bridal bouquet in her left paw and Nick hold her right one inside both of his.

The other photo showed Nick carrying Judy bridal style with both his arms and laughing happily; she was throwing her bridal bouquet backwards away over her shoulder with a laugh the very second the picture was taken.

"The second one looks definitely more fun." Judy snickered and flicked back to the other one. "This is a bit more traditional, but just look how deeply satisfied and happy we are looking!" she sighed bemused and taking a large sip from her coffee.

"I think I'm getting greedy." Nick winked. "Why should we have to choose one of them over the other? Let's just print both of them!"

Judy giggled, "Really?"

"Why, yes! It was the best day of my life and I want to have everybody to know it." He laughed quietly and Judy gave him a short kiss.

"Okay, then let's go to Miss Sanders so she can start printing them out, and then to the police station, at last!"

They emptied both their cups and foot the bill until walking with linked arms along a few smaller streets. When they arrived at the small stationary shop, they copied both pictures to a USB stick and ordered 450 glossy prints of each. The young clerk checked the quality of the files and said, that the prints would be ready in about six hours. After a small discussion between Judy and Nick who was going to pay them – Judy won and swiped her card through the reader with a pleased grin – they left the shop again.

While on their way to the police station, they shared a few stories from the wedding party. With a wanton mood they stepped up the few stairs and Judy opened the door to the old police building. The overheated air was blowing them into their face and after just a few seconds, both opened their jackets, feeling already too warm.

"Hey Dora!" Judy waved to the older sheep behind the front desk who looked over her glasses and began to smile.

"Judy! Good to see you!" she stood off her chair and walked with small and quick steps over to her daughter's old school-friend. While hugging her, she shouted for joy: "Congratulations to your wedding, again!" she let the rabbit go and turned smiling to Nick. "And you, too! Congratulations Mister Wilde!"

"Thank you, Mrs. …? Sorry, I couldn't memorize all names of Judy's friends after learning all of her siblings." He winked with a disarming smile and the sheep laughed amused.

"Croach, but just call me Dora, sweetie!" she winked. "Are you just doing a courtesy visit, or are you two on duty? You are an officer at the ZPD, too, right?", the last questioned was for Nick, but Dora didn't wait for an answer. While walking back to her desk chair, Judy walked towards the two guest chairs on the other side of the desk, Nick following her. When everyone sat down, Judy leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs and grinned to Dora.

"We heard through the grapevine that we have a Lunatic McCoy robber in town?"

The sheep raised a brow in surprise but smiled. "Where did you got that stupid name from?"

Nick raised his paw. "Here, I'm responsible for most of the stupid things."

They shared all a giggle, then Dora said: "Well, it seems as if you are not up to date, darling! The Sheriff is currently on his way, arresting the suspect."

Judy's ear sank and it was obvious that she was somewhat disappointed. "Oh."

Nick took a side glance to her, then leaned forward in his chair and addressed the sheep with his sneakiest voice: "Do you think you could give us all the mysterious details? Or are you too busy with paperwork?"

Dora quickly shook her head: "Oh, no! I have time for a quick report! Let me see, when happened the first housebreaking…", the sheep started to talk and Nick noticed contentedly that Judy's mood was slowly getting better again.

"On Friday night he broke into two houses, the one of family Eppes and the one of old-grumpy Shift. Each burglary by himself would have been totally ordinary. Maybe just a bunch of kits. At least with Shift that would have been reasonable." Dora talked, when Judy interrupted her with a short gesture of her paw, turning to Nick.

"Old-Grumpy Shift is a gray Wolf; I believe at least 80 years old. He is living on the town's edge near the forest in Bunnyburrows very own hunted house." Judy explained to Nick with a grin.

"A hunted house?" the fox raised his eyebrows with a smile.

"Of course it's not!" she giggled, "But it is as old and derelict as is John Shift. He is eccentric and living seclusively since his wife died over fifty years ago. Perfect conditions to get an eerie aura and being the target of a lot of childhood pranks: Knock-a-door-runs, scribblings on the walls of his house, throwing small stones through his open windows, vandalizing his garden, …"

Nick chuckled quietly. "I definitely cannot imagine young Judith Hopps play piggy with 'Old-Grumpy-Shift.'"

"Oh, I believe little Mrs. Hopps did really nothing like that!" Dora tossed in and the rabbit smiled.

"No, I didn't. And Sarah did neither." She added with a side look to the mother. "We helped to readjust his garden or clean-up the walls sometimes. I even brought him some vegetables and fruits from our farm. We weren't really befriended but we respected each other."

Nick laughed with a quick wink: "Yeah, that's more like Junior-Officer Hopps. Geez! You must have been even more popular with other kits then I even thought possible!" he said with a chilly undertone and Judy stuck out her tongue with a grin.

"It didn't get any better than back then, but I heard a few of the Hopps children are still sympathizing with him." Dora smiled. "And as I said, a burglary only for a plaster copy of a bust at Mister Shifts house sounded exactly like being just the newest prank. But the Eppes' also reported on Saturday morning that someone broke into their house. And they are living in a small townhouse on the other side of Bunnyburrow. As they noticed that only a plaster bust was stolen, they nearly didn't report it to us. As Mister Eppes told us, he first thought one of his kits accidentally dropped the bust and didn't want to get into trouble for it, because he found the shards of it near the pavement. But later he noticed the broken open lock of the backdoor and that stroke him as odd." Dora poured some tea into a cup and Judy and Nick both accepted her offer for their own one.

"So, this was a bit of a curiosum but to be fair we didn't give it too much attention. Then, in the night from Saturday to Sunday, another burglary happened at Mister and Misses Fleinhardt's farm. This time a window was smashed and Misses Fleinhardt woke up from it. She panicked and woke her husband. He thought at first that she had a bad dream, but finally agreed to check if everything was in order. In the course of putting on his dressing gown, he heard a snick by himself outside the house, but he couldn't see anything odd that night. The next morning, they saw the broken kitchen window and when the Sheriff got there he found the broken bust in the driveway. The Fleinhardt's hadn't even noticed that it was gone missing until then. This was also the moment we connected all three crimes together, but still unable to make head or tail of it." Dora was interrupted: Sheriff Darcy announced over the police radio, that the examination of the suspect in the hospital was finished and he would bring him in to the precinct now. She confirmed his report, took another sip from her cup and leaned back on her chair.

"Where did I stop? Ah, yes… now we come to yesterday. That night someone broke not into a tenement, but a medical office. Doctor Barney, a hare and our dentist here in Bunnyburrow, called and was having a screaming tantrum; someone broke into his office that night. As it was no home like the nights before, Sheriff Darcy didn't saw the connection at first. But it was obvious rather quickly when he arrived, that nothing worthy was stolen. Of course Doctor Barney saw that different: You could say he is a true worshiper of Arthur McCoy. There are dozens of busts, framed pictures and so on all over the office and in his house, too. He got even more mad when he realized that his plaster bust wasn't just stolen but saw the broken fragments of it behind the house. The Sheriff tried to soothe him, telling him about the other break-ins. But that nearly made Doctor Barney faint, as Mike told me later."

"Mike?" Nick interrupted her with a questioning look.

"Ah, sorry. Sheriff Mike Darcy it is. Did you already meet him?" The sheep explained to Nick, who shook his head. "Well, you will get to know him in a few minutes." She smiled. "I'm nearly finished, anyway."

"Let me guess, last night another burglary happened?" Judy asked curiously. Nick watched her closely with a smile: Her nose was twitching and there was an exited sparkle within her big, purple eyes; both ears were erected and turned to Dora, and her right feet was bobbing up and down. The cute bunny looked so adorable, he'd loved nothing better that moment than …

"Absolutely!" Dora interrupted Nick's thoughts and with a silent sigh his attention shifted back to the sheep. "Early in the morning around half past three we were called by Mister Beaveridge that a stoat broke into his house but he could overpower him. The Sheriff was alarmed immediately by our night watch, who also answered the phone. The only thing I know aside from that is, that Mister Beaveridge was keeping the burglar covered with a stun gun when the Sheriff arrived at the scene. The stoat is already known to police and had a bleeding head wound. So Sheriff Darcy drove with him to the hospital and – as you could hear just a few minutes ago – is now on his way back to here. Seems as if all Arthur McCoys would be safe again from now on!" Dora winked, content with her detailed story.

"You said, the stoat is already known to police?" Judy asked curiously.

The sheep nodded. "Wait a second, I seek out his file when Mike radioed his name…" she browsed through a small stack of files and finally picked the one she was searching for. "Ah, here it is! Duke Weaselton, a petty criminal from Zootopia."

"Duke Weaselton?!" Nick and Judy blurted out unison in disbelieve, both dashing forward in their chairs.

Dora looked surprised, nodded and handed Judy the file. "You know him?"

"You bet!" Nick muttered while thoughtfully rubbing his neck; Judy was already skimming Weaselton's file to make sure it was the same stoat they had encountered during the night howlers case. Totally baffled she finally put the file down on the desk again.

"It is Weaselton." She said to Nick – "But that makes absolutely no sense! He is a pickpocket and bootlegger, maybe a scammer. But he was never arrested for burglary and why should he even come to Bunnyburrow, let alone vandalizing those busts!"

Nick just shrugged, he was thinking exactly the same but couldn't made sense of it neither. Nevertheless, they had no chance to further discuss this twist because the front door opened and a large hart in a police uniform entered the room, accompanied by a rather sleazy looking Duke Weaselton in handcuffs. The stoat had some bandage around his head and was constantly beefing and ranting. Both ZPD Officers turned around in their chairs, watching the two newcomers. When Weaselton spotted them, he uttered a dirty laugh.

"Officer Cottontail and Pawpsicle! Perfect, that's all I needed!"

The Sheriff silenced him by prodding him along the room. "Shut up, Weselton, you already have enough trouble."

"It's Weaselton, cretin!" the stoat screaked and spat out several more curses while brought to the backroom where the custody prison cells were.

"Cottontail and Pawpsicle?" Dora asked with a chuckle.

While Nick was looking a bit sheepish, Judy just rolled her eyes: "He was my first arrestment as a police officer and played a subordinated role during the night howler case."

The hart was walking back into the lobby, looking a bit tired. With a smile he approached Judy to shake her hands: "Hello Judy, long time no see!"

With a friendly smile Judy leaped from her chair and shook Darcy's hoof. "Hey Mike! Almost half a year, not since Mister Leep's unfortunate suicide. May I introduce you to my partner at the force and husband, Officer Nicholas Wilde."

The hart shook Nick's paw with a big smile: "Nice to meet you, we heard a lot positive here about you! And you two are married? Geez, when did that happen?"

"49 hours and 24 minutes ago, Sheriff." Nick answered with a wink.

"Call me Mike!" Darcy laughed – "Wow! This weekend? Congratulations you two!"

"Thank you." Nick smiled and Judy replied, too:

"Thanks, Mike!"

"You two are swinging by for a private visit, or are you here in an official function?" The hart took a clean cup and poured himself a hot coffee from the coffee brewer.

"Not in an official function, we are on vacation this week here in Bunnyburrow. Let's call it academically interest on this McCoy thing." Judy winked at him with a beaming smile.

"I should have bet that I will see you soon after I saw one of your siblings working for Doctor Barney!" the Sheriff laughed and suggested a nod to Dora. "I guess, good-old-Dora already gave you a brief recap?"

"It was a quiet morning, nothing else important to do, Mike." The sheep grinned and handed him a few files. "These are the case files of the burglaries you asked for, and on top the criminal record of Weaselton."

"Thanks, Dora! What would I do without you?" he put the files under his arm and waved Nick and Judy to follow him. "Come along, I guess you two are nosey for what happened this night; so I can give you all information first hand just as well." He winked at Judy and walked over to his office.

Sheriff Darcy pulled off his jacket took place behind his piled up desk, putting the files on top of the nearest pile. Nick and Judy took place on a small couch.

"You already know about the emergency call this night?" the hart asked and took a long sip from his coffee.

"Yes, Dora told us that Mister Beaveridge caught the burglar red handed and kept him covert with a stun gun until you arrived. Did he also caused the head wound to Weaselton?" Judy answered his question and asked curiously.

The Sheriff shook his head: "He said no, the stoat was kneeling on the floor when he found him. Most probably because he stumbled in the dark and bumped his head. I took him to the hospital to make sure he is okay."

"Did Weaselton tried to steal a McCoy bust at the house again?" Nick asked and Darcy nodded.

"Yeah, he smashed it outside the house on the pavement again."

"Wait a second…" Judy interrupted the hart. "Didn't you say, Mister Beaveridge caught him crawling on the floor inside the house?" – when Sheriff Darcy nod his head, she continued. "But when he already got the bust and managed to destroy it on the outside, why would he go back into the house and risk anything?"

Mike bent his brows. "Good point. Maybe he forgot something or wanted to steal another thing."

"Was anything stolen or damaged beside the plaster busts in the other cases?" Nick suggested.

"Not as far as I know, the victims didn't mention anything at least."

"Weird…" the fox muttered and turned his head to Judy, who thoughtfully played with her earlobes.

The Sheriff shrugged: "I wouldn't worry about it. Apart from this, Weaselton refused to talk and demand a lawyer." – he took the stoats record from the pile, eyeballing it. "I will call Clintock later, he advocated Weaselton also a few months ago."

"It's not the first time you arrested him?" Judy asked surprised.

"He was involved in a rumble with another small-time crook named…" – he took another quick look at the file. "… Travis Weston, a local bully."

"Travis!" Judy gasped – "A Black-footed ferret with a scruffy brown and white fur pattern?"

"That sounds like him, yeah." Mike nodded.

"Old friend of you, carrots?" Nick asked grinning.

"Nothing like that, he was a bully back in school, too. Had quite a few… confrontations with him." The rabbit twitched her muzzle commemorating her early youth.

"I cannot bear him already." Nick grumbled.

"He always was a troublemaker." Sheriff Darcy added. "But nothing too serious, yet; pick-pocketing, disturbance of the peace, small rogueries, … something of the kind. He and Weaselton were arrested three months ago. They bandy blew on the street and we arrested both. Weaselton was still on probation and sent back into custody of his parole officer in Zootopia. Travis had attacked him with a club and was sentenced. I think he was released from prison last week again."

"Weaselton is arrested in Bunnyburrow together with Travis, who is sent to prison. And just a few days after the ferret is released, our Duke makes another visit to Bunnyburrow and is himself arrested for totally pointless burglaries." Judy summarized with a raised eyebrow and exchanged looks with Nick.

The fox took a few sniffs with his nose: "There is something fishy going on here."

"Nah! Just coincidences, believe me." The hart waves the both doubts aside with his hooves. "Those things happen all the time here on the countryside. In a town like Bunnyburrow there are sometimes the strangest relationships, because everyone knows each other."

Judy appeared unconvinced, but didn't feel like arguing with the Sheriff. As someone always giving 120%, she disapproved everyone with such a lax work attitude; Nick was right, there was something fishy going on in Bunnyburrow right under the hart's nose. When Nick spoke again he interrupted Judy's thoughts:

"Do you know if those broken plaster busts had anything in common, Mike?" – the fox smiled friendly, but Judy knew him good enough to notice he wasn't pleased with the Sheriffs explanation, too.

"Mh, let me take a quick look at the case files…" Mike leaned forward in his chair and eyeballed the files he got from Dora. He didn't noticed Nick rolling his eyes – but Judy did, who just shrugged in silence response. "No, nothing in common.", the hart leaned back again, nipping on his coffee. "Only the fact that they were all destroyed."

"I would only be too pleased to see one of those busts. They must be really cheesy if they all deserved this fate." Nick smiled with some well-played disappointment.

"Oh, you may pay a short visit to John's china shop. They all bought their bust there a few months ago. Maybe he still has another one you can take a look at!" Mike replied with a big smile.

Judy looked at the hart with gaping mouth – didn't he just assured them there was nothing in common? Nick however had a dead pan poker face, smiling happily to the Sheriff. "Thanks for the tip! Judy, what do you think. Do we still have some time for a short visit before we have to be back for lunch?"

"Sure thing!" she replied with a lukewarm smile and stood up from the couch. "Mike, it was a pleasure as always to see you. And thanks a lot for your time!"

"Anytime, Judy. Anytime!" the hart smiled happily. "Bye Nick, it was nice to meet you! And greetings to Stew and Bonnie!"

"Will do." She waved and left the office smiling, closely followed by Nick. They chatted for a few minutes with Dora while dressing their jackets in the – still too hot – entrance hall, and when they finally left the police building, Judy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Nick snickered and put his arm around her. "Wow, compared to your local Sheriff even Clawhauser appears as an egghead workhorse!" – he laughed even more when Judy just snorted in reply. He placed a soft kiss between her ears and smiled. "Would you do me the honor of being your Doctor Watson and show me the way to this nice little china shop of John?"

Judy sighed and replied his grin with a wink: "The game is on! Let's go!"

It was just a short walk to John's shop and when the couple entered it, they were the only customers. John turned out to be a grey-haired raccoon, who eagerly welcomed them. Judy let her look wander around the different shelves while Nick started to small talk with the owner. When the rabbit returned to them, they were talking about the raging Doctor Barney and how he lost his Arthur McCoy bust.

"And when Judy's sister Violetta said that her employer did bought the bust here, we offered to take a look if you have yet another one. You know, as a small present to Doctor Barney." Nick had switched on his best con-man smile.

"Oh!" the raccoon seemed to be a bit embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, Nick, but I have sold each and every copy of it. And I don't think I will get them back in stock too soon, they really didn't run that well." When he recognized Nick's disappointed and sad face, he added: "I'm really sorry. If you only would have asked me a week before, I still had five of them! Ordered them a few months ago shortly before the yearly Founders-Day, but they were too trashy I think. Only sold seven of them, the others were getting dusty in my shelves. That is until a few days ago, an oddly ferret bought them all at once! Can you believe this?"

Nick looked totally surprised: "Really? No way! All five at once? You don't know his name, do you? Maybe he will resell one of them to us." His sugar-sweet smiling removed any reservations via the unknown sad-to-say-no-customer fox on the part of the shop owner.

"I think… wait a second, let me take a look at my sales book!" John opened a notebook laying accessible on the counter beside the register, and Nick shared a quick look with Judy who immediately realized what he suggested. "Here it is, five McCoy plaster busts sold to Mister Weston on last Thursday." John smiled to Nick and closed the notebook again. "He was a ferret, I think. Sadly, he was a first-time customer, I have no further information for you where you can find him.", the raccoon seemed really afflicted to be of such little help.

"Excuse me?" Judy harrumphed quietly and smiled to the shop owner.

"Hello! How can I help you, Miss?" John turned his attention immediately to her.

"I have a question about a few figurines over there!" Judy smiled brightly and they both walked over to a shelf a few meters away. Nick grabbed immediately the sales book and eyeballed the entries from three months ago, overhearing the alleged sales talk. "I want to buy a few of those for my little sisters for coloring. Do you think that watercolor would stick to them?" Finally, Nick found what he was searching for, quickly closed the notebook again and leaned guiltless at the counter. Shortly after Judy and John returned, in their paws about a dozen small, white plaster figurines of bunnies.

The raccoon wrapped each of them into brown paper and put them all into a paper bag. "That makes 18 Zollars, Misses Wilde." He noted the details into the sales book and gave them a profuse thanks when Judy handed him twenty Zollars including tip.

The couple left the china store and after they walked a few meters, Judy eagerly plucked on his sleeve. "Well?"

Nick smiled: "All victims were listened in the sales book as buyer of those ominous busts. And I got two more names!" Judy fist pumped and the fox snickered. "And how did it felt to be called Misses Wilde the first time in public?"

Judy giggled and linked her arm with his'. "The name 'Hopps' is way too familiar in Bunnyburrow, I didn't want to draw too much attention to our short visit. But…" she stretched her head for his face and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "…it also felt really great, Nick. I think I finally arrived on the Wilde-side." She laughed when Nick groaned about her pun.

"Okay, I guess that one was long overdue." Nick snorted with a light nudge of his elbow. At the bus station they just had to wait for two minutes until the next bus arrived. While on their way back to the Hopps' farm, Nick asked: "You don't think that Weaselton did the break-ins but this ferret named Travis?"

Judy nodded slowly her head. "Yes, apparently Weaselton were just waiting for Travis to be released from prison. But why is Travis destroying those busts? And what has Weaselton to do with it?" she groaned in frustration. "Oh, this is so bugging; nothing makes sense!"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, fluff." Nick sighed. "Maybe we should pay a visit to 'Rossmann and Son', do you know the company?"

"Yes, they are having a stone quarry about twenty kilometers outside of Bunnyburrow. The Rossmann family runs a tradition for the best mason's in the Tri-Burrow-Area. Why?"

"They are the vendor that sold the plaster busts to our friend the raccoon. No concrete idea, but I think we should follow the trace of McCoy." He shrugged and Judy agreed.

"I will ask pa, if we can have the truck after lunch. It's not too far away, but the bus needs about three-quarters of an hour. Do you remember the names of the buyers who were not yet victimized by our burglar?"

"Sure thing: Misses Emily Brown and someone called with the pretentious name Andreas Bonaparte Shield."

"Misses Brown is a nice old cat; she has a small corner shop at the railway station." She pondered for a moment – "But the other one isn't from Bunnyburrow, I think. Never heard of him. But we can ask at home, or take a look at the phonebook. We should warn them both, I don't think that Travis is finished, yet. It's just pure luck that nobody was hurt during the break-ins."

"Besides Weaselton." Nick remembered her.

"Yes, okay, besides him." Judy rolled her eyes – "And remember that the ferret was arrested for using a club, he doesn't stop short of violence."

"Thanks for the reminder, carrots." Nick sighed – "We should be careful: Neither we are on duty nor do we have a jurisdiction in Bunnyburrow. And I don't want to meet a rampage ferret with a club without our stun guns."

"I think, Pa should still have this fox shocker somewhere…" Judy winked and Nick playfully gulped, drawing a worried face.

* * *

After having some lunch at the burrow, Judy searched for Stu to ask him for the truck and fox shocker while Nick helped Bonnie and two others clear the table of the dishes.

"Your pumpkin seed soup was really delicious; you absolutely have to share the recipe with us!" Nick commended the meal.

"Glad you liked it, honey." The old bunny burst with pride in her voice. "Of course, I will write it down to you later. Did you have a good time in town?"

"Yes, it's really a nice and balmy autumn day. And Judy got all the latest gossip about this burglary from Dora Leep." Nick smiled.

"Oh dear, you two are on vacation; you really shouldn't play cops and robbers! Don't you have enough of this already at home in the big city?" Bon smiled indulgently at him.

"Just a small academic research to please your daughter's curiosity." The fox smiled apologetically.

"Did she already talked with you about the guest room?"

"Oh, yes of course! Thank you that we can stay a few more days, I promise you will be totally unaware of our attendance!"

The rabbit hesitated for a second, watching him. "Think nothing of it, my dear. But I was talking about our plans to…"

"I've got the keys, let's go!" Judy had entered the room unnoticed and was nearly shouting, interrupting her baffled mother.

"You are already on the go again? I hope you will be back for dinner, Evelin and her litter are making their famous lasagna!"

"Judy wants to show me the surroundings of Bunnyburrow, but we will be back in a few hours. I would never miss a chance for some great pasta!" Nick winked and walked over to his wife.

"Okay then; have fun you two!" Bon waved them goodbye and Judy hurried through the door with Nick in tow.

When they were driving on the road, Nick asked: "What was that, carrots?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Nick turned his head to the left with a sly grin. "Well?"

"I … asked my dad about the fox shocker! He was making a fuss of course, but I stated that we would proceed with or without it; and that he would never forgive himself if he doesn't give it to us and something bad would happen." Judy replied with a sly undertone, trying to change the subject. "He will search for it and put it into the drawer of our sleeping room."

Nick snickered and shook his head. He would let the matter rest for now, but made a brief note in his mind to broach the subject again later. "Did you ask him about Mister Bonaparte Shield, too?"

"Yeah, but he never heard of that name, too. Maybe you could lookup online if he has a record in the Zootopia phonebook?"

Nick took his smartphone, starting a quick online search. After a while he said with disappointment: "Sorry, carrots. No one with this name in the whole Tri-Burrow-Area as it seems. At least not publicly available." He scrolled through his address book while talking, selected a contact and put the phone to his ear. Just when Judy wanted to ask who he is calling, Nick already started to speak.

"Hey, Bradley! How are you? – Thank you, it really was a great wedding. What a pity that your kit got ill, but family goes first of course. Is Nike alright again? – Pleased to hear that! Hey, why I'm calling, could you do me a small favor? – No, nothing official, we are still on vacation this week in Bunnyburrow, staying with Judy's parents. – (laughing) Nothing like that, Brad. I just want to ask you if you could look up a name for me in the Tri-Burrow-Area. An old friend of Judy sent a greeting card, but forgot to write his address onto it; and now we have no idea where to send our card of thanks. – Yeah, it's Andreas Bonaparte Shield. – (snickering) Shouldn't be too difficult, yes. – Thanks a lot, man! Greetings to Emma! – Bye!" Nick hung up and turned his head to Judy again with a triumphantly smile. "That was Brad from IT forensics, he will have a look at the official records and message me the address."

"Sly fox." Judy smirked.

"Dumb bunny." He snickered and put the phone back into his pocket. Judy did not even mention the fact that he was abusing official channels to get more information for their private investigation and deceived Bradley premeditatedly: She really had to be woolgathering.

They arrived at the quarry just a few minutes later, having no problem to find a parking slot. When they entered the office building they were greeted by a pig at the reception.

"Welcome to Rossmann & Son, how may I help you?"

Nick showed her his police badge and turned on his charm. "Hi, my name is Officer Nicholas Wilde from the ZPD and this is my partner Officer Judith Hopps. We are currently investigating in a case of criminal property damage. Someone vandalized a few plaster busts, and the shop owner who sold them all told us that he ordered them from you three months ago. We just want to make sure that nobody tried to break into your company, at least the only commonality are currently those busts."

The pig looked amazed. "Really? How odd! No, as far as I know nothing like a burglary happened."

"Oh, that is good to her, ma'am." Nick smiled friendly. "Could you give us information about who also ordered those busts from you? We want to warn other potential victims, you know."

"Of course, do you have a job number?" the receptionist entered a few commands into her computer.

"Sure thing…" he started to search his pockets, but obviously didn't found what he was looking for. "Oh no - I think I have forgotten my note-book!" he looked a bit frantic to Judy. "Did you brought a copy of the order form?"

"Eh…" Judy raised her eyebrows and quickly scanned her pockets. "Sorry, I must have forgotten it at the police station, sorry." She smiled awkwardly.

"Oh dear, we drove the whole way out to here in vain." He sighed, but the pig smiled cooperatively.

"Don't worry, I will try to look up the order for you. What did you say was the customer's name?"

"It's 'John's china shop' in Bunnyburrow. It was an order of a dozen plaster busts of Arthur McCoy, about three months ago." The fox smiled brightly while the pig entered the data. "That's really helpful, thank you! We are groping in the dark with this case and don't want anybody get harmed." Nick leaned onto the counter, glancing at the computer screen while Judy nervously tapped with her right food. The fox put his tail around her hip to soothe her and noticed her sigh out of the corner of his eye, snickering inwardly how innocent his cute little bunny could be.

"Here you are!" the pig finally said, turning the screen a bit into Nick's direction. "Those plaster busts were a onetime work as it seems: We only shipped those twelve at all."

"Isn't this somewhat uncommon? I mean, in general you will sell quite a few hundred copies of a figurine until phasing it out again, don't you?"

"Hm…" the pig started to type again. "You are right, here is a note regarding the mould for those busts. Apparently it was destroyed during a quarrel. The employee responsible for the destruction was fired as a result."

"Do you have his name? Just for our records." Nick smiled to the pig, who made another query on her terminal.

"A ferret named Travis Weston." She replied his smile, then added a bit worried: "I hope, this won't bring our company into disrepute?"

"Don't worry, ma'am. We need that information just routinely. You know, those annoying but useless work regulations." He smiled widely. "Thank you very much, you were a big help for us!" he touched his head with the paw. "Have a nice day, ma'am."

"I sometimes forget what you did for a living before you joined the force." Judy and Nick were driving back into town. "You really don't mind telling everyone porkies, do you?" she smiled softly.

"The better question is, fluff, why this Travis is apparently searching and destroying all busts he previously created." Nick stared out of the window, then said after a while: "Maybe the Sheriff was right, and those are just coincidences."

"You really think that?" Judy sounded irritated.

Nick panted: "No. I'm just frustrated."

"Well, maybe we can ask Travis himself for his motives."

"I bet you already have an idea where to find him?" Nick asked cutting.

"No…" Judy smiled slyly – "…I want to suggest to just wait until he comes to us voluntary."

* * *

With a short gasp, Nick put the last of the three heavy packages onto the bed of the truck. Judy leant against the driver's door with cross-over feet, arms crossed and watching him with a mischievous giggle.

"It's just a few pictures, carrots. Only some envelopes, carrots. How much could those writing papers weight, carrots. I'm an adult fox, you don't need to help me, carrots." Judy mocked Nick who just rolled with his eyes, arms crossed.

"Are you finished?" he asked with a small and pinched grin, rubbing his arms.

Judy started to laugh: "I didn't even start, foxtrot." – she giggled and waved him to enter the car. "Come on, I heard Evelin is making dinner today; and I know that you cannot resist her cuisine."

Nick began to move and let himself sink onto the passenger seat. "I dread to think about the fact, we also have to write all those letters. You're still sure about the hand-writing-thing? It would be much easier with a computer and a printer."

"And much more impersonal, Nick." Judy put her paw onto his leg and smiled disarming. "They all made our wedding to the best day of our life. It's the least we can do, isn't it?"

"Of course, you are right. Don't take me too serious, Judy; it's just my weaker self." He replied her smile and gave her a kiss on the paw. Then, after a short hesitation: "You said something about dinner, fluff?"

With a wide grin Judy started the engine. "Fasten your seat belts, please!"

* * *

"That… was simply fantastic!" Nick was sitting back on his chair, rubbing his stomach with a satisfied smile. Evelin gleamed proudly with pleasure, as did their litter sisters.

Judy bumped with her elbow against his arm. "Remember, you will have to run off all those extra pounds again next week."

"Phew! I'm not even sure I can even walk at the moment, not to mention running!"

While most were already cleaning up the table, Annie run up to Judy and tugged at Judy's sleeve.

"Hey, little puffy!" she smiled and lifted her little giggling sister onto her lap.

"Judy, can't predators cook?" she asked with her most innocent smile.

"This one here most definitely not." Judy giggled with a side-nod to Nick, who just chuntered quietly.

"Is this the reason they were hunting and eating the prey a long time ago? Could they not just have asked if they would share their meals with them?"

Annie's innocent question caused Judy to stop her giggling immediately, now looking nearly stunned. "W-what?"

"That's what Donald told today in school and hence we always should keep your 'Predsuck' well fed. Is this true?" Annie was still smiling, but her use of the word 'Predsuck' caused everyone within earshot lapse into silence and turning their head. Nick's hackles raised and he immediately sat straight in his chair, his face a dead pan.

"Annabelle, my dear…" Judy's voice was calm and soft, but nonetheless stern. "This is a very rude, mean and racist cussword."

In the meanwhile, Annie's question was whispered down the lane and nobody still in the kitchen said a word, looking shocked or in consternation. The little bunny felt uneasy and coyly looked around, knowing she had made a mistake.

"I… I'm sorry Judy." She stuttered embarrassed and her muzzle was twitching rapidly, being on the brink of crying. "I… I did not… I did not know that! Scout's honor!" The small furball on Judy's lap started to quiver and snivel.

Judy patted her head and sighed, not knowing what to do or say. A Predsuck was a disparaging foul name for a predator who lives among prey as a freeloader, utilizing them for food, work and all other kind of animal needs. It was one of the most violent insults for predators and arose a few hundred years ago. Today it was nearly unused, mercifully. But hearing it all out of a sudden out of Annie's innocent mouth was like a punch to the midriff to her.

When Nick put his paw carefully onto Judy's arm, she winced. But when she looked to her fox, he wasn't looking angry or sad; he slowly reached with both paws for Annie, who immediately hold on tightly to them, and lifting her onto his arms to cradle her soothing. "There, there…" he quietly said to the uncontrollable sobbing little bunny. Nick smiled caring, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"I-I'm … so … so-sorry, Nicky!" she continued to sob and the fox dashed away her little tears away with his thumb, still cradling her to his chest. It took a minute or two until she had calmed down again.

"What's happening here?" Bonnie Hopps had entered the kitchen, stopping puzzled under the doorframe. A few dozens of her children were embarrassed looking and cleaning up the table or doing the dishes in silence. Her ears twitched and she turned her head at once to the source of a quiet sobbing. She started to feel uncomfortable, then finally one of her older sons walked up to her and whispering told her what happened. "Sweet cheese and crackers…" Bonnie clasped her paw over her mouth, then walked quickly up to Judy and the others.

"Is everything all right again, little furball?" Nick said smiling to Annie, who nodded slowly. "See? Nothing bad has happened, no reason to cry." He gave her another kiss on the forehead.

"You are not angry with me, Nicky?" Annie asked worried, but when her favorite brother-in-law smiled even wider and shook his head, she started to smile a bit again, too.

"Oh, my poor little sweetie, come here." Bonnie said with outstretched arms, and her small daughter leaped onto her arms, cuddling her. The old rabbit mouthed 'I'm so sorry, Nick' without speaking out loud and a sad face, but Nick just made a small gesture with his paw and smiled.

"I think we are going to start writing our cards of thanks…" Judy said quietly while getting up from her chair. She turned to Nick who also got up from his seat, and both walked over to their room in silence. When Nick closed the door and turned around, he saw Judy standing slouchy in the middle of the room. "I …" she started, but then her voice dropped again, not knowing what to say.

"Hey, Judy. It's OK." Nick walked up to her, smiling softly.

"No."

"Yeah, it is."

"But…"

"No 'but'; she had no idea, what she was saying. And I didn't think for even a split-second that she could mean it."

"But it hurt you nevertheless, I could sense it!"

Nick sighed and hugged her. "Yes. Yes, it did hurt me, carrots. It's a term I didn't hear for a very long time, and it took me by surprise."

"Oh, Nick." Judy's voice sounded really sad and she embraced him even tighter. "I was totally stunned and didn't know what to do or say."

He snickered quietly: "Well, that'll be a first."

Judy smiled, then leant back and looked up to him. "Would you mind if we postpone writing the cards to tomorrow? I really just want to cuddle with you right now."

* * *

It was 2:37 o'clock when Nick took a look at his phone the fourth time within the last 15 minutes and yawned. "I hate surveillance, carrots. It's even more boring than paper work!" They lurked out of the house at midnight and drove with the truck into town. Judy believed, that Travis would try to steal and destroy also the last two plaster busts. They had visited Misses Emily Brown before they collected the photos and envelopes at Sanders', and suggested to her to sleep at a friend's home this night. Because this Andreas Bonaparte Shield wasn't living in Bunnyburrow it was more likely that Travis would try to steal Mrs. Browns bust first; and Judy and Nick wanted to catch him this time red-handed.

Both were sitting in her parent's truck near the cat's house, watching the street and the surroundings of the house carefully for the ferret. Nick grabbed for an isolated bottle with hot coffee and took a sip from it, when he noticed that Judy was shifting around on her seat.

"Are you cold, carrots?" he asked quietly with a smile.

The rabbit shook her head, "No…" – then, after a few more minutes passed, she turned around to him. "Nick…?"

"Mh?" – Nick was looking up and down the street, detailing everything with his night vision.

"We have to talk about something."

"That would make that surveillance at least somewhat less boring, carrots." He winked at her, but also noticed that Judy was nervous about something – and he was quite sure that it wasn't Travis.

"It has to do with my parents, they want to … let's call it 'renovate' the house next summer."

"Oh, do they need some help with it? I know a really great building company run by moles in Zootopia, and…"

"Pa loves to do it himself, and I have enough brothers to help him." Judy smiled, "But thank you for the offer. No, it's ... because of the big guest room."

"Ah, now I understand." Nick smiled – "Don't worry, carrots. We can still visit them regularly and just stay at a motel. That really will be no problem at all."

"No… I mean, yes, that would be great, but it's not what I'm trying to say." Judy looked coyly at him and Nick raised his eyebrows.

"Just spill it out, Judy."

She took a deep breath, then started to talk quickly: "They really insist on a dowry for me. It's an old tradition in the Hopps family, every son that is marrying is getting a parcel of the land for his own burrow, and every daughter gets a share of the farming business. And of course they are knowing that I neither want to become a farmer again nor that I want to move back to Bunnyburrow. But they want to make us an equal gift; I really tried to talk them out of this idea, but they stayed stubborn and made a suggestion. They want to reconstruct the big guest room and extend the house; making it into some kind of guest house with a separate entrance, living, child's and bathroom and so on. A safe haven, enabling us to visit them anytime, but also having a place to stay for ourselves whenever we want to. I know, you back off from accepting gifts and you are thinking my parents already did so much for us. But I promised them to discuss this with you. What do you think of this? Would you like the idea of having a second home here in Bunnyburrow? I guess that you're thinking it's an awful idea. It's a dumb suggestion, I know." Judy murmured something else, then finally went quiet, looking sheepishly down to her paws.

Nick thought about the idea while Judy was talking and when she finished, he watched her closely. It was rather dark in the car and the rabbit could probably only see some schemes of him, but he could see her perfectly: Judy's nose was twitching nervously, her ears leant back and her body was huddled on the seat. He slowly reached out with his arm for her face, putting his paw under her chin and pushed her head upwards; was she even trembling? The fox slowly bended forward and he could hear how his little bunny was gulping. He gave her a really gentle kiss on her mouth, stroking with his thumb over her cheek.

"I really think, this is a great idea, Judy." He whispered smiling.

"Really?!" – Judy hadn't noticed that she had hold her breath, but now she heaved a sigh of relief and was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Nick snickered: "You really have a great family and having a safe haven to back off from everyday work in the big city sounds great, too. It's a touching thought, that your parents made such a generous offer. So, if you also like that idea, call me in."

"Oh, Nick!" Judy made a jump towards him, her arms wrapping around his neck and giving him a passionate kiss.

They shared both a brief moment, hugging each other, when Judy's ears suddenly stiffed.

"I think I heard something…" she whispered, looking out of the front window, trying to recognize something in the dark. Nick turned around, watching the street and the house. When he saw someone climbing into a window of the observed house, he tensed up.

"He is in the house!" Nick whispered and Judy grabbed the pink fox shocker from the dashboard; they opened the passenger door and sneaked out of the car, across the street and along some bushes toward the broken-up window, taking up post right beside it.

After two minutes they suddenly heard a shatter from the pavement. Before Nick could even react, Judy broke into a run towards the street.

"Judy!"

"He has left the house through the front door, quick!" Judy shouted over her shoulder, then arrived at the roadside. "Paws in the air, Travis!"

The ferret was standing just a few meters away from her, right under a light post. To his feet were the shattered remains of the plaster bust and he looked really surprised to the rabbit. But after a short moment of hesitation, he started to run towards her with his claws reached out and an angry shout. Judy pushed the button of the fox shocker, but only the red low-battery light went on. She widened her eyes and tried to evade the ferret with a quick leap to the side, but already knew that it was too late for it…

The same moment Travis lunged to claw her, he was thrown back by something that looked like a big shadow. It took Judy a few seconds until she realized that it was Nick, who ran and jumped out of the dark against the ferret. Travis was pinned to the street, on top of him the fox on all fours and snarling threatening. Judy had a short flash back to the night howler case: It was the only time she ever saw another animal looking as savage as Nick was looking now.

"Nick, don't!"

* * *

It was shortly passed six o'clock in the morning when Nick and Judy entered the burrow again.

"Where were you two?!" Bonnie nearly dropped a basket with bread when she encountered them in the corridor. Both were looking terrible tired and Nick's shirt was torn open at the collar and his right sleeve.

"Hey, Mom…" Judy smiled wryly at her while Nick yawned again. "It was really a long night. Can we talk about it later, please?"

"But…!" the old bunny began, but Judy interrupted her with a quick kiss onto her cheek.

"Everything is okay, I promise."

Her mother sighed and finally nodded – "Okay, get a few hours of sleep you two. But we will continue this talk later!"

"Alright. Thanks, Mom." / "Thank you, Bon."

The two scuffed to their room at the end of the corridor. Judy let herself fall onto the bed and groaned. "I hoped, we could sneak into the house without being caught."

Nick shrugged, pulled off his shirt and eyed the rifts in it. With a snort he threw it onto the chair, pulled off his trousers, too, and walked up to the bed. Judy also had undressed her shirt and jeans and was now making enough room beside herself for the fox. After he laid down, she crawled with her paw over his cheek and smiled.

"Are you okay, Nick?"

He returned her smile and put his tail around her body. "I'm now."

"Sheriff Darcy and his constable seemed to be rather hacked off when we brought them the true burglar." Judy giggled.

"I would be, too, if some cute little bunny leads me a merry dance after doing my job."

"Well, maybe he can make Travis talk as a small contribution to the closure. I'm still curious why this ferret was doing all of this!" After a short moment of silence, she added with a grin: "And speaking of behaving odd: Did you confused a night howler with a blueberry lately? I nearly thought you went savage earlier…"

"If this bugger would have laid a paw on you, no night howler would have been necessary." Nick instinctively pulled Judy closer to himself. She smiled and gave him a kiss before closing her tired eyes. It took less than a minute until Judy was deeply asleep. Nick watched her for a while until he, finally, also fell asleep.

* * *

They were sitting all together in the living room: Nick, Judy, Bonnie, Stu, Evelin, Sven and a few of the older siblings. The grandfather clock was showing half past three, and they were eating some blueberry-apple-pie dropped off by Gideon Grey, who was also present. For the last hour, the two cops had told what they had done and found out during the last day regarding the McCoy burglaries. Of course they made it sound more like a chill story than an actual police investigation, but altogether the others were still attentive listeners.

"I'm a bit sad that Travis never get his act together." Gideon said finally when Nick finished the story with the arrest of the ferret by Sheriff Darcy. "We were good friends back in school, but he couldn't find a trainee position and finally joined a street gang from a nearby village. I had so much problems on my own back then, I wasn't available for him."

"It was his own decision to join that gang. It's not your fault, Gideon, that he went to the bad." Judy smiled softly.

"By the way, I gave your shirt Amita." Bonnie said to Nick. "She will try to sew it back together."

"Thank you, Bon!" Nick beamed happily.

"How did you arrest the ferret by the way?" Carsten, a 19-year-old brother of Judy asked curious.

"Did you use the shocker? I bet it worked like a charm! Always wanted to see it in action…" Stu snickered quietly.

"Eh… yeah…" Nick was nervously rubbing his neck.

"Actually…" Judy's nose twitched. They had deliberately skipped the details of that part, but now a dozen curious eye-pairs were looking eagerly at them. Judy sighed: "The batteries were too low; the shocker didn't work."

"Oh…" Stu said a bit disappointed, then with sudden realization: "Oh! Green carrot! I'm so sorry, Jude!"

"It's okay, dad. Fortunately, I had my very own predator with me." Judy winked to Nick who was still looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh my goodness!" Bonnie exclaimed. "So this is how your shirt got teared apart? My dear, I hope you are okay, Nick!"

"Did he hurt you?" – "You two were really fighting?" – "Did you bite him?" – all of a sudden everyone in the room seems to have questions about the short fight. Judy snickered, being pride of her fox, but Nick just put up his paws in defense.

"I was just acting instinctively when I realized Judy was in danger. Yes, I assaulted Travis. And I pinned him down to the floor. But no, I neither was hurt nor did I bite him." Nick said with an awry smile; he noticed, that Gideon didn't say anything but was watching him sympathetic. As the only other predator in the room he was probably knowing what going savage feels like. Nick nodded thankfully to him, then continued. "As I made sure, the ferret wouldn't run away, Judy called the police to get him finally arrested."

The other rabbits murmured for a while and Judy gave Nick a kiss on his cheek, whispering to him: "You are my hero, foxtrot."

"But why was Travis stealing and destroying all those plaster busts now?" Gideon asked after a while, scratching his head.

"Good question, did he said anything about that?" Evelin asked in wonderment.

Judy shook slowly her head – "He declined to answer a question after he was arrested."

"Maybe he just went crazy." Sven suggested, and a few of the Hopps' children nodded in agreement.

"Even a maniac has an agenda as a general rule." Judy answered doubting. "But perhaps we will never know his motives."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, carrots…" Nick suddenly said with a wink and all heads turned in his direction with a surprised look.

"You have an idea?" Bonnie was the first to speak up.

"Well, let's call it an assumption. But there has yet to be a confirmation."

"Say it plain!" Evelin grinned with anticipation.

"Yes, I would like to hear your theory, too!" Judy's nose was twitching.

Nick leant back on the couch with a sly smile. "We heard from the secretary at Rossmann and Son, that Travis was the one responsible for creating twelve plaster busts. But on the same day he was fired for having an argument with somebody. Shortly after he gets arrested for three months; and after he was released from prison, he started to get all of those busts he created first-hand and then destroys them. But Travis is not the only one involved in this crime…"

"This weasel… what was his name?" Sven suggested.

"Duke Weaselton." Judy said and Nick nodded.

"Exactly, he was the one Travis was fighting with when they both got arrested three months ago. And he also appeared at the ninth crime scene, where he was arrested by the Sheriff. I think, that Duke Weaselton was also the one, Travis had a quarrel with at the factory! We should get that easily proved by showing the leadman at Rosssmann's a photography of Weaselton."

"Sounds reasonable." Judy had to agree. "But why destroying those busts?"

"Let's say, Travis and Weaselton had successfully finished a coup. At least, they are both petty thieves; I would guess they tricked someone and stole something valuable."

"Money?" Stu suggested.

"Or some antique?" Evelin added.

"Maybe, but my guess would be something rather small but all the more worthwhile."

"Jewelry!" Judy exclaimed, slowly getting an idea for what Nick was driving at.

Nick winked at her, "I think so, yes! Perhaps Travis was preserving the loot. And when he didn't share with Weaselton, the Duke came to the quarry, visiting him at work to confront him. Now, Arthur McCoy comes into play…" – every single mammal's eyes were glued to his lips. With a sly grin, Nick continued: "I put myself in Travis' shoes: What would I do if I want to betray my accomplice, but get surprised by his visit when I have the loot actually with me? I don't want to risk that he gets ahold of it, so I have to hide it where he – and no one else – would ever find it. Travis only had a short moment to think of a hiding place."

"His workplace?" Gideon suggested.

"He was working at a big company; a colleague could find it." Nick smiled.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…" Judy said slowly. "…the plaster busts!"

Nick grinned – "Sly bunny! Exactly, this is also the reason I guess that it was some kind of jewelry they stole. It's valuable and still small enough to be put into not-yet-hardened plaster. And no one would ever look into it! Quite clever, I have to agree."

"And then he got arrested before he could get hold of the bust again." Judy said and Nick nodded again.

"Yes, he knew who ordered the plaster busts and wanted to break into the shop to steal them. But that evening Weaselton confronted him again and later he got arrested. When he finally was released from prison, he bought all still remaining busts from John's china store. Only five of them were left, but at least it was a small chance. But when he realized the shop owner notes all sales into a notebook, he waited for John being distracted by another customer, then took a look at the notebook. It's really no problem at all if you know what you are looking for, I tried it myself while Judy was talking with the old raccoon. When the right bust was not within the five he bought, he broke into the homes of the other buyers and stole their bust. He couldn't risk to destroy them in the houses because there was not enough light. But walking through the streets of Bunnyburrow with a plaster bust could arouse attention, even at night. So he used the first-best opportunity after leaving the crime scene, near a lamp post on the pavement or behind the house. He smashed the busts onto the floor, seeking for whatever he hid in it."

"But what did he hide? He destroyed all of the busts and didn't found it obviously." Evelin asked curious. It was ringing at the front door, and Stu got up, leaving the room.

"Not all of them… Andreas Bonaparte Shield!" Judy said excited.

"Excuse me?" Sven said.

"He was the last buyer of a bust." Nick explained and Judy added:

"But nobody in Bunnyburrow knows him and he is not within the public address book. So Travis had no idea where to find him. That was also the reason I believed he would break into Emily Browns house, first."

"And you were totally right, carrots." Nick smiled.

Stu re-entered the room, carrying a package with him. "It's for you, Judy. Who do you know in Chimestown?" he asked curiously while handing the package to his daughter.

"No one." Judy looked irritated to the sender address when her eyes grew big. She ripped it open immediately, starring at the content

"What is it, Juju?" Evelin asked.

"The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything…" Nick snickered.

Judy slowly lifted the 30 centimeter big plaster bust of Arthur McCoy out of the box and put it onto the table.

"Is this…?" Bonnie asked and Judy nodded.

"The sender of the package is Mister Andreas Bonaparte Shield; this is the last of the twelve plaster bust, the last one that Travis couldn't get his paws onto."

"I asked a colleague at the ZPD for help to get his address and phone number and called him yesterday. He was somewhat puzzled, but when I explained him that I'm a police officer and his bust was evidence in a crime, he was willing to send it to me at once. Oh, and maybe the fact that I offered him the tenfold of the original price."

"Sly fox." Judy smirked.

"And… what are we going to do now?" Stu asked, his muzzle twitching nervously.

"I would suggest the same what Travis did…" Nick winked and got up from the couch. "Would you do us the compliment, carrots?" he smiled and pointed to the door.

Judy took the bust and they all followed her and Nick through the house and out on the court. It looked really strange as they all arranged in a circle and Judy hold Arthur McCoy high in the air.

"Farewell, McCoy … you caused well too much trouble!" she solemnly said, then smashed the plaster bust onto the floor. Everyone was leaning forward to look at she broken fragments when Judy reached with her paw for a shiny piece of metal.

"I'll be blowed!" Bonnie gasped while Judy dusted off what turned out to be a tiny gold ring with a big red ruby, not nearly big enough for a rabbit.

"It's beautiful!" Evelin exclaimed smiling.

"It's impossible!" Nick stared on the jewelry in Judy's paw.

"Hm? What do you mean?" she asked and Nick slowly took the ring from her, watching it closely. Then, when he found what he was looking for, he showed it to Judy and pointed with his claw to a small engraving: An ornate 'B' – "Oh."

"Yes. 'Oh' applies perfectly." Nick replied and dropped the ring back into Judy's paw. "I think it would be better if you are giving it back… he likes you way more than me."

"Would someone mind to explain…?" Evelin asked sheepish.

Nick looked around suspiciously – "Let's go back into the house, we should not talk about this here."

Stu had already picked up most of the fragments and put them into the trashcan when they all walked back into the house. Most of Judy's siblings did took their mind off the ring and bust, now that the secret was revealed, and walked into their own rooms or to the kitchen. Gideon also bid goodbye to them, he had still some work to do in his shop. The only ones that met in the living room again were Nick, Judy, Stu, Bonnie, Evelin and Sven.

"There is a small engraving on the ring." Judy explained when they all sat down. "It's the logo of a rich and terrific … business man. I'm also the godmother of one of his grandchildren. This ring obviously belongs to him; and if this is true, Weaselton and Travis are in much more trouble than just being arrested for theft and burglary."

"Sounds like a dangerous and not very friendly man." Stu said indignantly and Bonnie nodded worried.

"He is the father of Fru Fru, right? Wasn't she at the wedding, too?" Evelin asked, and when Judy nodded, she turned to their parents smiling: "You remember the little Artic Shrew? She sat at the table with the polar bear."

"Oh, those! Yes, I talked with her for a while. She seemed really nice, actually." Bonnie admitted and her worriedness slowly faded away.

"Well, I think he cannot be so bad if you are friends with his daughter. And I bet he will be really thankful if you two bring him back the ring." Stu also smiled a bit.

Evelin, who knew exactly who Mister Big was from Judy's narrations during their muzzle calls, winked to Judy, who thankfully smiled back to her. "Well, Sven and I are invited for dinner by his parents. We will see you tomorrow!" she got off the couch with some effort and after some affectionate farewells, the both left the burrow.

"We also have still a lot of cards to write." Judy said to her parents, linking arms with Nick.

"It's okay, honey. We will call you both when dinner is ready!" Bonnie said smilingly.

After closing the door of their room, Judy sat at the desk and put the small ring in front of her. "Weaselton and Travis must have death wishes."

"I would suggest, that you are not telling Mister Big how you found his ring. And perhaps nothing of this should find its way into an official police file, too." Nick said softly while putting his arms around Judy from behind.

"Yeah, I agree. Finally, we did no official investigation and are still on vacation." Judy sighed, contrite about the fact that they would have to sweep all of this under the rug. "I will call him immediately; the sooner we get rid of this ring the better. And then we finally have to write those cards!" she winked and Nick playfully rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say, carrots…" he smiled


	21. 2x10 - Blindfolded

_"_ _Blindfolded, your feelings are enhanced. You see less, you see nothing, but you feel more. You feel everything." – Chloe Thurlow_

* * *

 **! CONTENT-WARNING !**

 **Rated: M - Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes.**

 _This chapter is not really an important addition to the storyline at all, but something quite a few people had asked for. Let's just call it a not-safe-for-work post-credit-scene of the previous chapter._

 _It contains the more-detailed-than-usual description of a mild-erotic short story. Nothing coarse or even pornographic, but if this is not your kind of story you can safely skip this chapter. You will not miss anything important regarding the storyline in this case._

 **! CONTENT-WARNING !**

* * *

"I find it hard to believe, that we are driving home again tomorrow." Judy sighed – "Are we really being married for already a week?"

"Not quite, it's only six days, carrots." Nick snickered.

They were sitting alone in one of the lower basements of the burrow, where the Hopps' had established an herbal sauna and a hot tub. It was Nick's first visit to it after Judy had raved about it for the last few days. The dim light was immersing everything in a romantic light and two ventilation shafts ensured the ventilation of the room. A few relaxation loungers were ready for about a dozen rabbits, and two of them were occupied now.

Judy had closed her eyes and laid nude on her stomach, her head resting on her crossed arms. Nick was laying on the lounger beside her, watching her with a small grin. "We should visit the Mystic Springs Oasis in Sahara Square, they also have saunas and spas there, you know?"

"It's a naturist club…" Judy murmured.

"What do you think we are currently?" he reached over with his paw, grabbing for her scut.

Judy giggled and jerked – "Entre nous, dumb fox!" She heard him quietly laughing and moving on his lounger. Then it was silent. Too silent… up until now she had heard his heartbeat and breathing, now there was … nothing. Judy squinted, but still couldn't see anything. She raised her head and rubbed her eyes; but it stayed dark. "Nick?" – no answer. "What for carrots sake…" she turned around and semi-erected herself on the relaxation lounger. She was sitting in complete darkness and the only thing she could hear was the faint ventilation and the rippling of the water pump inside the spa. So, there was no power failure at least. That left only one conclusion: Nick had switched off the light deliberately!

"Dumb fox! Where are you?" she said a bit louder to cover her nervousness. Then, after he didn't respond: "What are you up to?" Her ears were straightened up, carefully listening for any noise in the dark.

"Do you fear the darkness, little bunny?"

Nick's voice was nearly a whisper and it came so sudden just a few meters from her right side, that Judy involuntary squeaked and leaped away into the other direction. Crawling on all fours she searched for the nearest wall. When she heard something near to her left she froze – her muzzle twitching nervously. Then suddenly Nick's voice came from the front-right:

"It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt."

Judy instinctively leaped into the opposite direction, crawling a few meters and knocking over one of the loungers. A quiet giggle came from behind her. How could Nick switch directions so fast? She tried to listen for him, but could only hear her own heartbeat.

"It lies behind stars and under hills, and empty holes it fills."

Nick's voice was now coming from the left and seemed even nearer – Judy started to run instinctively in another direction, but had no idea where she was heading anymore. Then Nick's voice came from the front-right:

"It comes first and follows after."

The rabbit changed the direction immediately and started to run on all fours again, even if she knew that this must be the fox' intention to drive her into the direction he wanted. But her brain couldn't control her legs at the moment, she was only reacting instinctively.

"Ends life, kills laughter."

Nick must have been directly in front of her! Nearly stumbling, she turned to the right without slowing down. But she sleepwalked right into the prepared trap: After just a few meters she beat her head against a stack of pillows that were stapled in a corner for the loungers. Judy turned around, her back to the corner, and desperately trying to see anything. But the moment she heard the fox in front of her she knew she was trapped. The only escape to the right was pointless, it would lead her into the sauna. Squeaking silently, she skids back and pressed herself into the corner as far as she could. Nick could only be half a meter away, his snarling getting louder every second. Her whole body was trembling and her nose twitching furiously; she felt a quick air draft the moment before the fox landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground. He grabbed her arms immediately with his paws and she could feel his claws pushing against her skin. Helplessly wincing under his body a last squeak escaped her mouth when the fox dashed forward with his mouth and embraced her throat with his fangs…

Judy's scent drove Nick nearly crazy the moment he finally defeated her. He could sense her throbbing artery under his fangs. He didn't bite her, but started to nibble on her neck; her squeak changed into a soft moaning and her body started to tremble. He wouldn't let her go just yet; slowly pulling her arms above her head, he grabbed both her wrists with a single paw. His other paw started to claw her lightly over the arm, down over her shoulder, her chest, stomach and finally her hip. Judy started to jerk again under his treatment so he suggested again to bite her on her throat. His tongue slowly licked over her neck and down her collarbone, while his paw crawled caressing over her thighs. When he reached with his fangs and tongue her breasts, she let out a soft moan again and struggled under his grip. He grinned softly: It was time to show her that her resistance was futile. The same moment he started to nibble on her right teat and his paw reached between her thighs, his finger rubbing over her vestibule.

It was like a lightning was flashing through Judy's body and she broke off in mid-moan. She still couldn't see anything, but her other senses were all the more sensitive. Nick knew exactly what he was doing and even if she wanted she couldn't really move. His paw was moving over her most sensible body part now and driving her crazy. She was nearly panting, but then his lips were suddenly pressed on hers, kissing her demanding. The rabbit finally gave in and parted her lips slightly, letting him French kiss her affectionately. Judy responded his kiss, thinking about nothing else right now. After a few moments, the fox let her arms go and she wrapped them immediately around his neck, pulling him even closer. He put both his paws on her hip without interrupting her kissing; with his claws lightly scratching from her hips to her back and scut, she grabbed with her own small claws in his shoulders. He moved his body slightly upwards and she parted her legs a bit. When he thrusted slowly forward, Judy took her head back and a thrilled moan escaped her mouth.

Nick was holding his little rabbit tight in his arms; their' both bodies were slowly moving together and he was kissing her neck and shoulders with some soft nibbling. Judy tried to kiss him from time to time, but her body was still trembling and her moaning switched frequently into a whimper. He French kissed her again and his claws were crawling over her scut and her back; but in an incautious moment Judy was finally able to push her legs onto the floor and rolling Nick over on his back. He made a surprised exclamation, but now with her on-top she could lean forward and nibble fondly on his neck. That also meant, she was setting the rhythm now, moving faster as her body was in need to release the pent-up tension. Nick groaned sensually, rolling his eyes and clinging his paws to Judy's back, making her even more fierce.

Judy had no idea how much time may have passed; she couldn't take it any longer and her furiously trembling body had finally collapsed on top of Nick's chest. While she was breathing heavily Nick was crawling softly with his paws over her back and head, kissing her gently between her ears. It took her a few minutes until she could not only sense but also hear Nick's heartbeat again, instead of only her own. She slowly raised her head and started to kiss his chest. Her fox was growling contented and she crawled with her paws through his fur. Judy kissed affectionately his whole chest and stomach, sliding lower until finally reaching what she was looking for. She kissed him gently, sliding with her tongue around. Nick yelped quietly, his paws trembling while they were crawling Judy's head. It didn't take her very long to bring him to climax, making him howl.

Snuggled on top of his body, Judy was carefully listening to her fox' heartbeat and breathing. They didn't have spoken a single word in the last two hours and the warm air and high humidity had made their fur even more sweat-soaked than usual; the absolute darkness was a never sensed before thrill to the commonly tough bunny. Judy was feeling exhausted, but perfectly happy and just wanted to lay here together with Nick for the rest of the night. Nick had his tail wrapped around his cute bunny, still watching her closely; how she was smiling, breathing, moving her ears, … he started his little chasing as an experiment, as he didn't know how Judy would react being deprived from her eyesight. As things turned out she had as much fun as he had, even being more ecstatic than usual. He softly stroked his bunny's back, feeling her shivering. Without saying a word, he took her smiling on his arm and stood up. She clanged tightly on his neck and chest, and Nick brought her to the adjacent bathroom – a hot and steamy shower would suite them both now perfectly!


	22. 3x01-Things will never be the same again

_"Vengeance is a monster of appetite, forever bloodthirsty and never filled." – Richelle E. Goodrich_

* * *

 _(YouTube: "llyADThAg5o")_

 ** _Wednesday, 12:37 o'clock – Incoming video message to Bonnie Hopps phone_**

 _"Hey Mom… Dad… sorry for not calling you directly. I have… (closing her eyes shortly) … I am a bit in a hurry right now and just wanted to … (looking away from the camera and breathing deeply, eventually being on the verge of sobbing) … I want … (returning her look to the camera and smiling a bit sad) … I just want to let you both know how much I love you. All the love and support you gave me … (sobbing and looking to the side) … despite all decisions I made that you … (sighing, looking to the camera) … whatever. Thank you for everything. (smiling and giving a kiss on the camera)"_

"Moooom" Annie called out of the window – "Your phone rang!"

Her mother was collecting some herbs from the garden outside the kitchen and smiled. "Just put it on the kitchen table, I will have a look later my dear."

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 12:44 o'clock – Incoming video message to Evelin Hopps-Brooks phone_**

 _"(Judy's face looked as if she had cried, trying to smile now) Hey, sis! I tried to call you, but … (sobbing) … but cannot … (with another sob she nearly starts crying) … I … I am in some trouble and… (looking away, wiping a tear with her paw) not sure … shuffle out of it this time … (looking again to the camera) I sent already Mom and Dad a short m-message … you will have to … look after them and our siblings, okay? (wiping another tear away) You know that I love you, Eve… you … you always were my best friend. We had … (sobbing) … had so much fun together (smiling and shortly laughing with the memory of it) … always think of me this way, do you promise? (sniffling with a sad smile) I would have loved to see your first litter at least … they will be … (looking away sighing and breathing deeply, then looking back into the camera with tears in her eyes) … tell them how much their aunt Judy loved them! (starting to cry quietly) … I wished that Nick and I had kits, so they could play and grow up together with yours! (sobbing) You were right, we … I shouldn't have postponed it again and again … (wiping away her tears and trying to breath slowly) … Have a look after Nick occasionally, will you? (looking to the side) He will kick himself but … (sniffling) it is not his fault. (looking back to the camera, sobbing with a light smile) … I'm a dumb bunny, too emotional. (starting to cry again for a few seconds, then she pulled herself together with a last, wide smile) Love you all so much, Eve! Good bye … (giving a kiss on the camera with a smile)"_

Evelin was talking on the phone with her mother-in-law when her phone notified with a single beep an incoming message. She took a quick look and smiled. "What? No, nothing, just a message from Judy. I will call her later. You were talking about Troi's newborns, congratulations!"

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 13:04 o'clock – Car park of the ZPD_**

The wind was blowing coldly in Nick's face, but he couldn't care less. The colleagues from the bomb squad were standing near him, Fangmeyer had put his paw onto Nick's shoulder. Chief Bogo was snapping orders to everyone and a hyena was gleefully laughing. But Nick's only attention was on the blood and the body just a few meters in front of him, unable to speak or move.

"Code 10-108, 10-52 at Precinct One for 10-45c! I repeat, Officer down in the car park of Precinct One, immediate ambulance needed!" – Bogo snapped at his radio, then turned around to Delgato and McHorn, who were keeping the still laughing hyena under control. "And get this psychopathic piece of dung out of my sight!"

* * *

 ** _Monday (2 days before), 6:28 o'clock – Nick and Judy's apartment in Zootopia_**

Judy was polishing her badge, eyeing herself in the mirror with a satisfied smile. Nick was standing beside her, tying his black tie.

"Hurry up, foxtrot! If we want to get some breakfast from pawbucks before work, we have to go now!" Judy sounded as eager as always and was already standing at the door with one paw on the latch.

"How can anybody be such a ball of energy in the early morning." Nick yawned and smoothed down his jacket. "Okay, let's go, ca…" – he didn't even finish the last word when Judy already opened the door and stormed outside. "…rrots."

When he finally arrived downstairs with the elevator, Judy was holding the front door open, pounding impatiently with her foot. "If you would take the stairs, too, your cycle would come to live more easily!"

"You are really in a hurry to get back to work, aren't you?" Nick snickered and tried to keep step with her on their way to the tram.

"We were chilling out a whole week, it's about time to get working again!" she smiled brightly, walking backwards a few meters to face Nick, then turning around and leaping up the three stairs of the platform. They still had a few minutes until the tram was arriving, and Nick leant again a lamp post, watching how the city was slowly waking up and coming alive. When his gaze went down to a newspaper on the floor, a headline leaped into his eyes: 'Accident or assault? Hundreds of mammals without electricity!'

"Carrots?" Nick said thoughtfully; it was the rabbit who normally was reading the Zootopia Post online each morning while he was still showering. "Did you hear something about a blackout?"

"Mh? No, I didn't get around to read the Post today. What blackout?" Judy turned her head, following his looks to the scrapped newspaper. "Oh…!" – she grabbed into her pockets, searching for her smartphone.

"You are getting sloppy, fluffy." Nick snickered.

"I was looking through the mail we got during our little vacation. Some fox was too tired to do it yesterday after we arrived at home." Judy smiled to herself, already swiping through the daily news on a website. "Here it is…" she moved beside Nick and tilted the phone display so he could read it, too. "Several hundreds of mammals had no electricity on Sunday evening when an incident happened at a transformer station in downtown. When a large pickup broke through a fence and ran into one of the transformers and exploded, a blackout happened in a small area near the center of Zootopia. A few hundred residents, including a third of Little Rodentia, had no electricity until the electric company 'Zoolectric' could finally bypass the demolished transformer station in the early hours on Monday. No animal got hurt by the incident, the driver of the car could escape before the police arrived at the scene."

"We are barely back in Zootopia and there are exploding transformer stations … you are really attracting all kind of troubles, carrots!" Nick chuckled while his bunny rolled her eyes, getting in the just arriving tram, looking for a seat.

"If anything, we are attracting them both, foxtrot! But I would call that just an unhappy coincidence. It's not the first hit and run crash, maybe the driver was drunk. There should be quite some video footage."

* * *

 ** _Monday, 7:21 o'clock – Foyer of Precinct One_**

When Nick and Judy entered the precinct, they stumbled for a moment. There were quite a lot of people in the foyer; most of them colleagues but much more than usual at this early hour. They walked up to the front-desk where Clawhauser was on the radio. But instead of having some small talk with them as usual, the cheetah pointed to the bullpen with a sober look.

"It seems, as if you would get your busy first day of work, carrots." Nick said with a soft smile while they were walking to their mutual seat. They still had a few minutes until their shift would official begin, but had no time to talk with their colleagues what had happened because Chief Bogo was also entering the bullpen in that very moment. The room quieted immediately.

"Morning. Most of you already heard about the nightly events, but I will summarize them for all others. Yesterday at half past eleven in the evening, an unknown culprit drove with a stolen car onto the area of the transformer station 37-B by 'Zoolectric'. The car was packed with plastic explosive and parked directly beside the main transformer. Moments later the bomb was fired with a remote control and destroyed the whole transformer unit, which lead to a power failure in this area…" – Bogo pointed to a circle on the wall map. "For reasons of security we told the press that it was a car accident, no need to create a panic currently. Investigations regarding the bomb are made by the bomb squad, under the supervision of Fangmeyer. Forensics is on-site since yesterday. Officers Delgato and Wolford will be in control for the analysis. You will assist them as necessary. All others not directly involved with the investigation will make intensified patrols on their default routes today. Maybe this was an isolated incident, but until we can be sure I want you to be watchful."

It was rather quite in the room; everybody was thinking about what Bogo just said. "On a positive side-note…", Bogo finally said: "Officers Hopps and Wilde are back from their short honeymoon trip; welcome back." – a few were hooting with laughter while others were wolf whistling or applauding; Nick and Judy smiled, feeling awkward, when Bogo finally yelled: "Dismissed!"

The newlywed had to shake paws and hug nearly everyone, not without some naughty comments from their colleagues. When they were sitting in their police rover fifteen minutes later, Judy navigating through the early traffic, Nick was oddly shushed.

"A penny for your thoughts." Judy said with a short side glance.

"I sometimes forget, that this job not only is driving around, issuing tickets or arresting drunken mammals. But someone blasting a whole transformer station?", Nick sighed. "Those things are dangerous!"

"You are right, Nick. Sometimes our job is dangerous." She nudged him with her elbow, winking: "But I promise I will watch you."

"Oh dear…" Nick sighed with contrived despair.

* * *

 ** _Monday, 17:39 o'clock – Nick and Judy's cubicle at Precinct One_**

Nick printed out the last of his reports for the day, an attempted theft, and signed it. They were sitting opposite each other and he observed his partner smiling.

"What do you think, carrots: Are we going to call it a day?" Nick asked while putting the case file in his out-box.

"I'm reading the preliminary report of the forensics, regarding the incident at the transformer station."

"Well, something new?" The fox slowly walked around their desk, looking over her shoulder.

"Not too much. They found some footprints of probably a ram, but they are not precise. As it seems the culprit knows where all cameras are place, because he managed to avoid them; no clear picture is available." Judy turned a few pages of the report until some schematics were visible. "And this is a reconstruction of the charge. They didn't identify all components of it yet, but it's rather complex. The chemical analysis identified a self-made…"

"…binary explosive?" Nick asked wondering. Judy raised her eyebrows and turned her back to him.

"Exactly, how did you know?"

Her fox just shrugged his shoulders. "No idea, the moment I saw those schematics I somehow knew that there was a self-made binary explosive used."

"You recognized those?"

"Apparently, yes…" he looked thoughtful, but finally shook his head. "No idea, carrots."

"Well…" Judy turned back to the forensics report. "That's it already with the new information. There is another report by the electric company about the caused damage and what households were affected." She closed the report and put it into her drawer. "What time is it?"

Nick smiled and massaged her shoulders. "We are already making extra hours."

Judy sighed quietly with pleasure. "Let's change into something more comfortable and have some dinner at Giovanny's pizzeria." She smiled, putting her head into the neck and looking upwards to Nick.

"Sounds good. Oh, and Benjamin asked if we want to join him and a few colleagues on a new games night on Friday."

"A great occasion to ask him about his little adventure during our wedding party!" Judy giggled.

"I don't think that he wants to discuss this topic with so many colleagues attending." Nick winked.

"We will see. Are we going to meet downstairs in … let's say fifteen minutes?"

Nick gave her a quick kiss between the ears. "O.K. – see you in fifteen."

When Judy came to the foyer she wore a blue jeans and a dark red pullover, on her shoulder a small bag with dirty clothes. Nick was already waiting, standing together with Fangmeyer at the counter and talking about a file in their hands. When she approached them, she overheard the last part of the conversation:

"…just as an idea." Nick said and Fangmeyer nodded slowly.

"Thanks Nick, I will let this check even today. If you are right, we have a good trace!"

"Hey, Larry!" Judy greeted Fangmeyer with a smile. "Anything new?"

"Nick had an idea regarding the bomb schematics, but we are still tapping in the dark. You two are going to clock off?"

"Yepp, we want to go to Giovanny's. Do you want to accompany us?"

"Nah, I don't want to bother Zootopia's sweethearts." Fangmeyer chuckled with a wink. "Also I have a briefing in half an hour. See you two tomorrow!" he raised his paw to bid farewell and left.

"Well, are you ready?" Judy smiled to Nick, who put his own bag with clothes over his shoulder and nodded.

"Ready and hungry, let's go." He walked over to the entrance door and hold it open for Judy. The rabbit still stood there, her paw on her stomach and her ears wincing a bit. "Carrots?" Nick looked a bit worried.

"Everything alright, just some stomach rumbling." Judy smiled and walked over to him, linking her arm with his'. "What were you two discussing?" she asked him while waiting for the tram.

"Oh… I remembered why those schematics looked so familiar while I was changing clothes. They are nearly identical to some blueprints a bomber used about 10 years ago. I read about it while studying a few old case files a few weeks ago. Larry will check this possibility."

"I have no idea how you can memorize so many details about some schematics from a ten-year-old case, but it's amazing!" Judy gave him a kiss on his cheek and snickered.

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, 7:14 o'clock – Pawbucks store near Precinct One_**

"Hopps-Wilde!" the barista, a grey cat, shouted behind the counter and Nick took the delivery of two large latte macchiato and a blueberry muffin, handing one of the cups to Judy.

"And you don't want anything for breakfast for sure, carrots?" Nick asked while biting in his own muffin.

"No, thank you. I'm really not hungry."

"You didn't eat a lot for dinner yesterday, too. Is everything okay?" Nick looked a bit worried.

"Yeah, everything is fine! Come on, you can finish your muffin on the way." Judy was already walking outside the shop, heading for the police building two hundred meters away.

"Right behind you!" Nick replied with his mouth full, taking a quick sip from his hot coffee. Judy wasn't as fast as usual, so it was no problem to keep up with her. He opened the main entrance door of the Precinct for her and indicated a bow: "Milady…"

Judy smiled softly and they both walked directly to the bullpen. To their surprise Bogo was already there, talking with a few officers including Fangmeyer. After sitting down on their seat, Judy slowly rubbed her temple. She wasn't feeling too well, last night she could only sleep for one or two hours but didn't plan to bother Nick with it. After drinking some coffee, she would be okay for sure.

"Silence!" Bogo shouted and the voices in the room died at once. "Last night we had another attack on a transformer station. As far as we can say right now another car bomb was used with the same binary explosive. We are assuming a plan on those incidents, maybe some blackmail attempt on Zoolectric. Francine, Higgins, you are going to meet the corporate lawyers of the electric company. Wilde, Hopps, you will meet with Fangmeyer and Marki and join their taskforce. Delgato and Wolford are already on-site of the second crime scene. Grizzoli, Snarlof, you are going to join them. The rest is on default patrol. Dismissed!"

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, 8:02 o'clock – Conference room 1.12 at Precinct One_**

Fangmeyer was standing in front of about a dozen colleagues from different divisions, including forensics, behavior analysis and the Bureau of Firearms and Explosives. He started with a quick summary of the second crime scene: "A stolen truck broke through the fence and was parked between three transformer units. The binary explosive was ignited with a remote control again, destroying the whole transformer station and causing another blackout in the inner-city." On a big monitor he showed photos of the crime scene and a map with the affected area of the blackout. "Our technicians could restore most of the schematics of the explosive charge. Thanks to Officer Wilde we could identify the blueprint in the meantime: It's one of several blueprints developed and used ten years ago by a serial bomber, a hyena named Adrian Bale. Detective Muzzler from the Bureau of Firearms and Explosives is going to explain those schematics now."

An older lion stepped forward and thanked Fangmeyer. "I'm Detective Muzzler and my team and I analyzed the original blueprints. They are rather complex with a lot of traps and fake circuits and, once armed, nearly impossible to defuse. We didn't see this design again after Bale was arrested. As far as we know he is the only one using specific hallmarks…" the lion showed the schematics of a few electric circuits. When he finished, the atmosphere in the room was in low spirits; Bales blueprints had used sensors, timers or remotes to fire the bomb or even multiple of those. The use of a programmable microprocessor made most of the logic hidden, without deep knowledge of the used programming it was nearly impossible to defuse it.

The next one presenting was Marki as head of the behavior analyses unit of the ZPD. He presented the old case of Adrian Bale. "When we finally caught him after several months, our chief negotiator got him to surrender. But during the arrest Bale used his remote control to fire a bomb and killed nine officers. His disregard and insensitivity against the live earned him a life imprisonment without any chance for probation." Marki turned his head to Judy and Nick. "Hopps, you are one of our most talented interrogation experts. You are going to visit Bale in prison, we need to know who besides him knows about those blueprints. Wilde, you will accompany her. As Fangmeyer told me, you already have some detailed knowledge of those blueprints and may support Hopps during her interrogation!"

Both, Nick and Judy, nodded their head and Marki handed over to Fangmeyer again. "Okay, thank you. As we currently don't know any motive, we are investigating in all directions. Forensics brought a lot of data with them we are going to analyze together. At 14 o'clock we will have a briefing with Delgato and Wolford to get their latest results from the crime scene. Everybody of you is reporting directly to me. Dismissed."

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, 11:37 o'clock – Meadowland Jail_**

"I have read this police file now for the second time." Nick said to Judy while they were sitting in the visiting room of the Meadowland Jail. "Adrian Bale's efficient bombs killed every single target. They were highly accurate masterpieces, you could see and feel his passion for his work with every wire and electronic component."

"So, did he only wanted to proof that he could make the perfect bomb?" Judy asked curiously. "Do we have a psychological profile in his file?"

Nick sighed and nodded. "This hyena is a really sick bastard. He is a textbook example of a psychopathic personality. He even pushed the next button on his remote during his arrest when he knew, it would only worsen his sentence. He killed all seven members of the bomb squad and two police officers on purpose, just for fun because he could."

Judy's ears sank and her muzzle twitched slightly. "I'm unable to grasp why some mammals are doing such horrible things. Yes, we learn to creep into the head of criminals; but I find it more than difficult to understand psychopaths. They seem to have no real reason for their actions."

"Please be careful, Judy." Nick said softly. "It can be dangerous to creep into the head of someone like Bale. If you stare into the abyss for too long, he starts to stare back into you…" he put his snout on Judy's head between her ears, unwittingly scent marking her as a sign of protection.

"I promise, Nick." She smiled softly, but turned her head with a stern look back to the door when she heard it being unlocked. Nick closed the police file and took a step back. He was attending this interrogation because he knew the blueprints. But Judy was the one who would lead the interrogation, and as much as he hated it: Bale should only concentrate on her…

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, 13:04 o'clock – In the police rover_**

"I think I could need a hot shower now; this Bale is really a creep." Judy muttered while driving the police rover back to the precinct. "He seemed to be nearly aroused when we talked about the bombs!" she shivered with cold.

Nick was breathing deeply, grinding his teeth. "He was aroused, but not only because of the bombs."

"What do you mean?"

"You."

"Huh?" Judy looked a bit confused to him.

"He was aroused because of you. I could smell it. He wanted to put his fangs around your throat and bite, he even licked over his teeth absentmindedly a few times. It was … disgusting …" Nick mussitated, his paws clung into the armrest of the door.

"Okay, now I really could use this shower…" Judy shuddered with disgust. "But we did not found out to whom he gave his blueprints. He isn't allowed to have visitors and most of the time he was in solitary confinement."

Nick opened a second police file he got from the prison. "No visitors, not even police officers, in the last six years. And you are right, he was in solitary confinement for nearly the whole ten years, no personal contact to his fellow prisoners." He continued to read a few more pages of reports, created by the prison administration.

Judy drove on the parking space of a fast-food restaurant. "I need to go to the bathroom, maybe you want to get some lunch meanwhile?" she smiled and left the car.

"Good idea, what should I order for you?" Nick asked eagerly.

"Just a small salad and a coffee, I'm not very hungry after this interrogation." She headed directly to the toilet before Nick could say anything. With a quick shrug of his shoulders he walked to the counter and ordered a small salad and a coffee for Judy, and a veggie burger with French fries and a coke. He already sat at a small table in the corner of the room when Judy came back.

"Everything okay, carrots?" Nick asked worried after a short sniff with his nose.

"Yeah… ", she put the salad in front of herself and took a small sip from her coffee.

Nick put his paw onto hers and sighed. "You throw up on the toilet, Judy. And you eat near to nothing the last twenty-four-hours. Are you getting ill?"

Judy's muzzle twitched slightly. "Couldn't you have a small cold?" she smiled. "Yes, I had to vomit. But I'm not getting ill, it's just the interrogation and what you said about your observations of Bale."

"Sorry, carrots." Nick looked guilty. "I really didn't mean to horrify you about him. He is in jail after all, and I would never let him get close to you."

"It's okay." She crawled with her thumb over his paw. "Let's finish lunch, we have a briefing at the precinct in half an hour."

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, 15:19 o'clock - Conference room 1.12 at Precinct One_**

Fangmeyer finished his presentation with the details of the second crime scene and the comparison to the first one. "We still have no idea why those two transformer stations were attacked. The cooperate lawyers of Zoolectric didn't confirm the blackmail theory, neither. The only trace we currently have are those specific blueprints, but currently we cannot bring them into context. The footprints at the first crime scene couldn't be further identified, they are most probably from a sheep or ram. Our technicians are currently trying to identify a pattern for the attacks based on their effects. Rather unlikely are market manipulations at the moment. There are way too many transformer stations in Zootopia to watch them all; our analysts are preparing a list with the most likely targets and we will have patrols around those starting this evening. Chief Bogo ensured that he will allocate us most of the night shift for this, you all will get your mission order from Wolford, who is organizing the schedule. But first: Get a few free hours until 18 o'clock; it's going to be a long night and everyone should get some rest. Dismissed!"

As all colleagues were leaving their seats and started to talk with each other's, Fangmeyer called: "Hopps, Wilde, a word!"

Nick and Judy walked over to Fangmeyer, who was already talking with Marki. The dire wolf turned around to the rabbit: "I read your report about the interrogation of Bale. You wrote, that he had no visitors and no contact with other prisoners. Still you are sure that he has something to do with the bombing?"

"Yes, sir."

"Please, explain this…" Marki gestured to a few chairs and they all sat down around a small table.

"When we talked with Bale…" Judy began, "…it seemed as if he had expected us. He was self-complacent and wasn't surprised in the least about the fact that someone was using his blueprints. This is leaving the only conclusion: He already knew that someone was building and using bombs with his blueprints." She looked over to Nick and nodded.

"Well…" the fox started slowly, "…I suggested beforehand to the interrogation that we should try to spoof him for a suspicious expression." Nick pulled one of the copied blueprints of the current bombs out of the case file and put it on the table. "I made some ineffective changes to the blueprint, here… and here…", he drew a small circle around two wirings with a pencil. "This one shows clearly that the connected component is just a trap-circuit. And the second one…"

"Ah, I see…" Fangmeyer said, "…it's an electrical short that disables the second mercury tilt switch."

"Exactly." Nick nodded.

"When we showed him the first, unchanged blueprint, Bale seemed to be professionally impressed by the work." Judy continued, "Then we showed him the second one with the changes. He seemed to be hurt about those mistakes. He didn't point them out to us, but he pushed the blueprint away and stated what a miserable copycat had used his hard work. His annoyance wasn't played, and I'm sure he knows exactly who did those two bombings."

"But how could he pass his blueprints to someone without it being on records?" Fangmeyer asked but the other three had no idea, either.

"Maybe it didn't go on the record, because the accomplice was already inside the prison." Wolford said, standing near them and overhearing most of their conversation. "I don't speak of a fellow inmate…" he added when he noticed that Nick wanted to object. "…but one of correction officers."

Judy seemed to be shocked and offended by the idea someone working for the ZPD could be involved into the bombings. "Impossible!" she blurted, but Fangmeyer slowly shook his head.

"Nothing is impossible, and that would be a good explanation how Bale could communicate with an accomplice. But the real question is still: Why?"

Marki added: "Bale is a psychopath, he always tried to kill mammals. The destruction of buildings never was one of his priorities. The current modus operandi is different, even if the blueprints are the same."

"You two are exempted from the patrols this evening." Fangmeyer finally said to Judy and Nick. "I want you to screen everyone working in the Meadowland Prison, including those who were fired in the last two years. Crosscheck them with Bales jail file. If there is really some insider involved, we need to find him."

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, 21:47 o'clock – Nick and Judy's cubicle at Precinct One_**

"Those are all reputable and hard-working mammals." Judy said somewhat frustrated and closed another personnel file. "I'm really uncomfortable to snoop in their lives."

Nick stretched his arms. "I know, carrots. But we have to contemplate that one of them is in cahoots with Bale. Maybe not as the bomber, but as a contact person. It's only a question of time until someone gets hurt during a bomb attack."

Judy sighed: "I know, Nick. But take another look at this pig. She has a lot of debts, but only because her ex-husband was a gambling-addict; she is working more extra shifts than most others just because she needs the money to feed her son."

"But she also has volunteered a lot of those extra shifts in the section of the long-time inmates. And there are quite a lot of reports regarding Bale. We will talk to her and those other three guards…" Nick pointed to a short list with names. "Most probably she is innocent and just doing her job. But currently we are also just doing our job."

"I know…" Judy sighed again and opened the next personnel file. "I'm feeling just so disillusioned."

"Oh, I'm sure we have a personnel file at internal affairs, too. Well, at least I have. Or do you believe they aren't closely watching a fox and former con man?" he winked.

"I don't think, that…" Judy started, but Nick interrupted her.

"Our last audit was after we moved together into our new apartment." Nick was still smiling, but Judy knew instantly that he was hurt by it.

"How do you …?" she started, but was interrupted again.

"They also wrote into their report that you have a positive effect on me. And I agree with them." He smiled and gave her a short kiss. "I would never consider to do something that may disappoint you."

Judy had to grin and rubbed her cheeks against him. "I don't think that I really want to know wherefrom you know about the content of these reports." She winked at him. "Okay, let's continue with this list. We still have seven names to check!"

The next employee was a ram named Wooly Ramses. While Judy read his personnel file, Nick made a background check in other databases.

"Woah…" Nick hesitated with an amazed expression.

"Did you find anything interesting?" Judy asked with a bored expression, still looking through the rather unspectacular file.

"I don't know, carrots. Would you call a criminal cousin something interesting?"

"Maybe his cousin is the black sheep of the family…"

"Wow, such a lame pun from you?" Nick grinned – "Well, actually his cousin has grey wool. But you should remember him better, because you kicked his ass – literally – out of a subway car." Nick turned his computer screen in Judy's direction to show her the crime file of Wooly Ramses' cousin: Doug Ramses – the chemist and sniper who worked for Dawn Bellwether and created the night howler drug.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…" Judy's eyes grew big. "Wooly Ramses is his cousin?"

"Yes, this is also the reason why Doug was sent to Tundratown's jail instead of Meadowland. As it seems they wanted to prohibit a collision of interests. As far as I can see, Wooly has a clean slate himself. Not even a parking ticket on his name."

"Well…" Judy hesitated – "maybe it's really just an unhappy coincidence. Why should he cooperate with someone like Adrian Bale? Or why should he bust those transformer stations? As you just said, he has a clean slate himself. His only offense is a criminal family member."

"Maybe…" Nick sounded doubtful. "But his name is definitely going onto this list."

"Fine with me. But don't prejudge him only because of our own past with his cousin. Okay, the next one is…" they were interrupted by the radio.

"10-33 for all units. We have a 10-89 and 10-70 at transformer station 12-B."

Nick and Judy both gasped – that was another bombing at a transformer station. Judy was already opening some map on her computer.

"Transformer station 12-B is in Sahara Square and not on our list of guarded targets. We should go immediately!" she leaped from her chair, but nearly tripped, managing to get hold of the edge of their table in the last second.

"Woah, careful Judy!" Nick reached out his arm to support her. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just a bit dizzy. Give me a second." Judy closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"Just sit down again…" Nick dragged her softly on her shoulder back to her chair. "There are more than enough officers on patrol to support on-site. We could help more if we try to find out how this last attack fits into the series."

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 5:39 o'clock – Fangmeyer's cubicle at Precinct One_**

The Bengal tiger was rubbing his neck with a tired look at all the papers laying around on his desk. They had 54 officers on patrol last night, observing 27 high-probability targets. But the attacked transformer station was not on this list and the bomber could escape the third time in a row. And still no concrete trace they could follow. He didn't sleep for two days and Chief Bogo was breathing down his neck – because the city administration was on his tail. And he would have a briefing with the chief in less than an hour, but still no new information.

"Coffee, Larry?" Nick asked with three cups of coffee in his paws the same moment Judy knocked on one of the cubicle walls. Fangmeyer turned his head and smiled mildly.

"Thanks guys." He took one of the cups and yawned – "But some positive news would be better…"

"Well, as ill luck would have it …" Judy winked and walked up to his desk, unrolling a card of Zootopia.

"You worked out something?" Larry Fangmeyer was immediately wide awaken and sat straight on his chair.

"Maybe…" Judy started and unrolled an overhead transparency on top of the map. "This is the area that was affected by the first blackout. It's not very big, as you know. And this…" she unrolled a second overhead transparency – "…is the area of the second blackout. This time a much larger area was affected, including one third of the first area. After the attack last night, we made this third layer with the area affected this time." The rabbit unrolled the last overhead transparency on top of the other three. "As you can see, it's again a big area, but only a very small of it is overlapping with the first two areas."

"I see… this is just a small city block that was affected each time. You think that this was the bombers intention? To cause a blackout in this small area? But why?"

"We had no idea, either, until we took a look what buildings or companies are affected. And there is only one non-private building…" Judy looked over to Nick.

"The Zootopia pretrial detention center." Completed the fox her statement.

Fangmeyer looked down on the map and the overhead transparencies, drinking from his hot coffee. "You are right; the pretrial detention center seems to be the only possible target. But how could those blackouts affect it? They have several emergency generators to power the gates, cell doors and other security facilities even during a blackout."

"We are not sure, but there seems to be no other commonality between the blackouts. If you agree, Nick and I would visit the detention center and talk with the administrative head." Judy suggested, and Fangmeyer nodded.

"Good idea, it's the only trace we currently have. Did you find out anything about the employees at Meadowland Jail?"

"Well…" Judy hesitated and looked to Nick seeking for help.

"We have a short list of five names; nothing obviously, just a few saliences. But we should invite them for an interrogation just to be sure."

"Okay, I will ask Marki and his team to support you with those." Fangmeyer said – "It's not the big breakthrough, but we finally have some new traces regarding the motive and the perpetrator. Really good work you two! I will make sure that Bogo will hear about it." He smiled and looked down to the map. "Can you make me a copy of this? I have a briefing with the Chief in twenty minutes. And send those five names you've got per email, I will forward it to Marki."

"This is already your copy of the map, Larry." Nick took a sip of his own coffee.

"And we will meet the director of the pretrial detention center at 7 o'clock and will get back to you afterwards." Judy added and the two left Fangmeyer's cubicle again.

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 7:10 o'clock – Office of the director of the Pretrial Detention Center_**

The director of the pretrial detention center in the inner-city of Zootopia was a middle-aged cheetah. He greeted Judy and Nick with a firm handshake and pointed to the chairs opposite his desk. "Hello Officers, take a seat please…" – and after he sat down himself, he leaned back in his chair, looking curiously. "How can I help you?"

"You were affected by some blackouts the last three nights, is that correct?" Judy asked.

"Yes, our main power supply failed three times for a few hours. It just came back two hours ago."

"Did you experience any negative effects?"

"Well… actually, no, nothing at all."

"What about your security systems or the cell locking mechanisms?" Nick asked.

"We would be really screwed if any of those systems would fail due to a blackout." The cheetah smiled mildly. "This is the reason we have emergency generators."

"And those were working every time the last three nights?" Judy chased up the subject.

"Like a charm. Whoever is causing those blackouts, he is not going to intimidate us with it. Our fuel depot last out for at least 48 hours of emergency power. And we already ordered new fuel to backfill it during the forenoon."

"How many inmates do you currently have?" Judy asked, writing down some notes.

"A few hundred, most of them waiting for their court hearing."

"Could you give us a list? We want to crosscheck those with our suspects." Nick asked, handing a USB stick to the cheetah.

"Of course, just give me a minute…" the director inserted the USB stick into his computer and started to type a few queries.

* * *

 ** _Tuesday, 9:07 o'clock – Conference room 1.39 at Precinct One_**

Nick and Judy sat together with Fangmeyer, Wolford and Delgato in the small conference room; they were talking about the possible motive to cause a blackout in the pretrial detention center when Marki entered the room and sat down on the last free chair.

"I arranged the interviews with four of the suspects you determined, beginning at 10 o'clock. The only one we couldn't reach is someone called Wooly Ramses. The prison director said that he had called in sick today and I sent Grizzoli and Snarlof to his house to check this." The dire wolf rubbed with his paw over his head and looked rather tired – like everyone else in the room, too.

"Okay, thanks for the update." Fangmeyer said, then turned his head back to the map of the inner-city that was laying on the table. "Our IT department didn't find any new relationships between those three attacks. There are only those three buildings affected by all three blackouts…" he pointed with a claw on a small area of the map – "But those two are just apartment buildings and this is the detention center. We are currently checking the background of all residents living in those apartments, but I'm not very optimistic that we will find anything suspicious. The best guess was the pretrial detention center. And you're sure that it wasn't affected in any way by those blackouts?" he asked Judy and Nick, but both shook their head.

"The director said, that their emergency generators did start up every single time and there was no power outage." Judy explained.

They were all silent for a few minutes, thinking about the facts.

"We have no chance to ascertain our unsub if we don't know why he is blasting those transformer stations." Marki finally said – "Something must be affected by those blackouts! How long can those emergency generators bypass a power-loss?"

Judy browsed through her notes: "Those emergency generators are powered with fuel, and their depots are sufficient for at least 48 hours of continuous operation."

"Well, they have consumed quite some fuel during the last nights, didn't they?" Marki suggested.

"I don't think that they would just let those depots run dry…" Fangmeyer replied.

Judy shook her head: "No, they ordered new fuel to backfill their depots for today."

Marki chuntered quietly and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, but you should still finish crosschecking their inmates with our case, just to be sure."

"Of course." Judy nodded her head – "We already checked the case files of about two-third of them."

"Arthur McCoy …" Nick uttered under his breath.

Judy's ears twitched a bit and Fangmeyer looked up to Nick. "A new suspect, Wilde?"

Nick seemed to be bemused and Judy had to nudge him with her elbow before he finally reacted. "What? Oh, sorry… I was just thinking about something." He thoughtfully shook his head.

"Who is this McCoy?" Delgato asked probing.

"He is the founder of Bunnyburrow…" Nick explained absently and all others were staring in his direction.

"Maybe you should get some rest, Nick." Fangmeyer said with a commiserating smile.

"Huh?" Nick looked irritated to him, then shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I was just thinking about Arthur McCoys plaster busts…"

"What are you talking about, Wilde?" Wolford sounded bugged.

"What is it with those busts?" Fangmeyer was calm and sounded a bit curious.

When the fox didn't answer for a few moments, Judy nudged him again. "Nick?"

"Yes?" – he replied, then noticing all those questioning looks. "Oh, right … well, a thief had to smuggle some jewelry and couldn't risk to be caught with them." Nick started to explain to them. "Because he was working at a company creating those plaster busts of Arthur McCoy, he hid the jewelry within the still fresh plaster of a bust before he was arrested for something else. After he was released, he found out who bought the plaster busts and stole them to get back his loot."

"Something like a Trojan horse?" Marki said thoughtfully.

"Exactly! But the other way around: With the Trojan horse they smuggled warriors behind the town walls. The thief used McCoy to smuggle his jewelry out of the factory."

"You think, that…" Delgato started, but then shook his head again. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Then Marki was suddenly heads-up: "A Trojan horse! They want to use the tanker truck to get into the prison! An assassination attempt?"

Fangmeyer interrupted him exited: "Not a Trojan horse, a McCoy bust! They don't want to break into the prison, it's a prison breakout! Inside a tanker truck is enough room to transport several mammals and no one would examine it and take a look inside the tank when they left!"

"Yes, that's the idea…" Nick smiled a bit. "But that still leaves the question whom they want to free."

"Let's take a mutual look at the rest of this list of inmates…" Fangmeyer was rummaging around in his papers but Judy already pulled out her tablet and connected it to the wall monitor.

"Always prepared for everything, huh?" Delgato grinned at her and seconds later Judy had opened the police database when someone knocked on the door and entered the room without waiting for an answer.

"Hey there, sorry to interrupt you. But there are a few mammals for Detective Marki. They have an appointment with you?" Clawhauser had put his head into the room.

"Delgato, Wolford… would you two start with those interviews? We still need to know the connection to Bale." Marki handed the both colleagues the four personnel files he had brought with; they left the room together with Clawhauser. In the meanwhile, Judy finished opening the database.

"Okay, the last name we had checked before the briefing was Linda Nigrin, a forger of coins and jewelry." She tipped a few commands into the search mask and a list with about 80 names was returned. "These are all inmates we didn't check, yet. So, let's start…" and in the same moment she opened the first entry.

It was short past ten when the name and photo of a rather famous criminal was shown on the big screen: A small sheep with green eyes and light brown glasses was staring down at all six sitting at the table – the former Mayor of Zootopia, Dawn Bellwether.

"She! They want to help Bellwether to break out of jail!" Nick exclaimed at once. Fangmeyer and Marki both looked doubtfully to him.

"We know that you have a common past, but…" Fangmeyer started, but Nick was already rummaging around in his own papers.

"Wait a second… I know that I printed a copy of… ha!" he pulled out a printed personnel file, in the header the logo of the Meadowland Prison was visible. "Wooly Ramses!"

"One of the guards in Meadowland Prison you had on your list of suspects?" Marki asked and took the personnel file from Nick, running down the three printed pages.

"Yes, and his cousin is Doug Ramses, the chemist and sniper that Bellwether had under contract! This must be the connection between Bale, the attacks on the transformer stations and the blackouts. They want to free Bellwether!"

Judy looked concerned to the big monitor with Bellwethers photo and police file. When Marki finished reading the personnel file, he handed it to Fangmeyer who also started to read it. The dire wolf was visible brooding over those new facts and their possible connection among one another. Nick was still excited, he never got over Bellwethers attempt at using him to kill Judy. The pent-up anger was clearly written in his face and Judy softly put her paw on his arm.

"Excuse us for a minute…" she said to Fangmeyer and Marki, who just nodded, and drew Nick on his arm with her outside of the room. After she had closed the door, Nick snorted scornfully.

"You have to calm, Nick." Judy said softly, stroking with her paw over his'. "I know you hate her for what she did to you and all other predators, but that must not influence your judgment." Nick had a pained expression on his face and it gave her a sting to see him like this.

"She tried to kill you!" Nick finally said after a while with a trembling voice.

"I know…" Judy smiled softly.

"She tried using me to … ", he couldn't speak any further. Actually, Nick had nightmares for weeks after those events in the museum; most of the time they weren't able to exchange the night howler with the blueberries and when he went savage he hunted for Judy, and finally killed her. He never told her about those nightmares and he didn't have them for over a year. But now all of those memories came back at once. When he finally recovered his breath from his anxiety attack, he was looking into Judy's big purple eyes; she was holding his face with her paws, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs and smiled softly.

"Is everything okay again, Nick?" she whispered a bit worried.

The fox slowly nodded with an eased smile. "Yes… thank you." He gave her a little kiss on her nose and Judy snickered quietly.

"Always." – and after returning his kiss, she asked: "Should we go back?"

"Of course." He put on his con man smile and they entered the small conference room again.

Fangmeyer and Marki were discussing something and when Nick and Judy entered the room, they turned around.

"We think…", said Fangmeyer, "that we should further investigate in this direction. I will drive to the pretrial detention center with a Quick Response Force. Even if it's not Bellwether, chances are good that you are right with your theory of a jailbreak."

"Snarlof called me." Marki added – "He told us that Ramses wasn't at home, but they could identify suspicious items through a window. Grizzoli is currently getting a search warrant for his home and I will meet them there with a forensics team and experts from the bomb squad."

"Hopps, you are spelling Delgato and support Wolford with those interviews downstairs. We need to be sure that no other mammal is involved into this! Wilde, you are driving with Delgato to the Meadowland Prison, I want you to clear Ramses' locker and get his work plan. Also get Adrian Bale to the Precinct, Chief Bogo is currently making the transfer documents ready. We need his testimony against Ramses."

Nick wanted to object, but Marki said calmly: "I know that you two are normally working together, but these are particulars and we double checked with dispatch: Most other officers are currently not available and we need your individual expertise unfortunately at two different places. If there is any booby mine at Ramses' locker, you are going to notice it, Wilde. And I need the bomb squad at Ramses' home. Also you know Bale already. Hopps is one of our best interrogation officers, we have to make sure that none of the other suspects is involved with this."

Nick sighed and nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Okay, let's go!" Fangmeyer said with a determined look and they all walked out of the room.

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 11:34 o'clock – Delgato's Police Rover_**

"Come on, don't pull such a face, Nick." the African lion said to Nick with a wink.

"Don't take it personally, Don." Nick smiled mildly. "It's just really a long shift and the possibility of Bellwether involved in this got me wrong-footed."

"I always thought it was that crime case that brought you to the forces. Didn't you even meet your cute rabbit during the night howler case?"

"Don't let Judy hear that cute-thingy." Nick smirked, then replied: "But, yes, you're right. I helped her as an… let's call it informant back then; and we are a really good team since then."

"So, shouldn't you be rather thankful to Bellwether then?" Don Delgato chuckled, but when Nick didn't answer him, he added: "Just joking, Nick. This crazy sheep is a terrorist and you shouldn't let her get to you."

"Will try it." Nick put on his aviator sunglasses and looked out the window when they passed the border to the Meadowlands.

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 11:37 o'clock – Pretrial Detention Center_**

The tanker truck drove through the main gate and followed a short path to the backside of the building. Three sheep in an overall got out of the truck; one of them started to unroll a big hose to connect it to the fill nozzle of the fuel depot, while the second one watched out for guards and the third ram knocked with his hooves against the hollow sounding tank. The hatch on top of the big tanker slowly opened and five rams in a uniform of the detention officers of the jail left the otherwise empty tank. With a counterfeit keycard they tried to open the side-door, but the lock just beeped two times and a red LED blinked.

"Damn it." The ram with the keycard cursed and tried it again. But the lock just beeped again and stayed closed. "I don't believe it, Ramses goofed the keycard copy! Olaf, get the crowbar, we have to break it open!"

But in the same moment a small dart hit the ram with the keycard directly into his neck; a few seconds later he sank to the floor unconsciously.

"What the…?" another sheep barked, but two more of his accomplices were going down and just a moment later half a dozen ZPD officers in SWAT gear surrounded the other sheep with their weapons at the ready.

"ZPD, everybody freezes!" Fangmeyer shouted.

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 12:14 o'clock – Wooly Ramses apartment_**

"Room clear, no booby mines or other traps." One of the officers of the bomb squad shouted and pulled his thumb up. Marki and the forensic team entered the room and the dire wolf shouted:

"Okay, box everything that could be used to build a bomb and all other evidences you find. I want to know what this ratfink was up to!"

After a few minutes going through some paper on Ramses' desk, one of the crime scene unit shouted: "Detective Marki! You really should take a look at this…!"

"What is it?" Marki walked over to the colleague who was working in another room. The puma handed him a bunch of photos he had found in a drawer: Surveillance photos made with a telephoto lens of a certain rabbit in a police uniform, in plainclothes, writing tickets, eating lunch, driving a police rover, … Marki handed the photos back to the puma, grabbed his radio and ran towards the front door.

"Bomb squad, immediately back to the ZPD!" he shouted to the officers of the Firearms and Explosive department, then into the radio: "Code 10-89, possible 10-108 – 10-05 for Judy Hopps at Precinct One!"

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 12:29 o'clock – Delgato's Police Rover_**

In the back of the police rover sat Adrian Bale, fettered on his feet and paws. Nick bought some coffee for Delgato and himself in a small coffee shop while the lion was waiting inside the rover when the radio message from Marki came in. Delgato honked several times until Nick hurried out of the shop and jumped into the car.

"What's the matter, Don?" Nick asked puzzled while the lion stepped on the gas and switched on the siren. "I'm not functional without enough caffeine… I was next in queue."

"We have a Code 10-89 and a possible 10-108!"

"Another possible bomb threat and an officer in danger? Where and who?" Nick had some difficulties to hold on because Delgato was speeding into a curve.

"It's Judy, Marki just announced it over the radio…"

Nick didn't answer him; he felt like he had to vomit any second and a big lump was in his throat.

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 12:32 o'clock – ZPD car park_**

Judy just finished the third interview and the fourth prison guard had not yet arrived. It was already noon and neither she nor Wolford had a breakfast, so Judy offered to go and get some lunch for them. Normally she would go to a takeaway near the precinct by feet, but after staying awake the whole night and those demanding interrogations, she was feeling too tired and decided to take the rover. She just sat down in the car when her phone rang and their wedding picture was announcing a call from Nick. With a smile she turned the car key and picked up the phone.

"Hey, sweetheart! I was just getting lunch, should I bring something for you, too?"

Nick breathed deeply: "Oh, god bless you! Where are you Judy?"

"In the car, still at the ZPD. Is everything okay, Nick? You're sounding…"

"Judy! Don't start the car! You're Wooly's next target, Marki found photos of you all over his place! They are trying to reach you via radio for minutes!" Nick sounded frantic, but Judy was staring on the screen of the satnav.

"I ... it's too late … I already activated the bomb, it is going to detonate in 29 minutes …" Judy could hardly speak, the shock was profound.

Nick screamed some curse and hit the dashboard in front of him with his fist. "Okay…" he spoke on his already low-battery-beeping phone again with Judy – "…just stay calm, the bomb squad will arrive at the ZPD in less than 10 minutes and I will be there in less than 15. We will defuse the bomb and get you out of that car." – his phone was beeping again, his battery already below four percent.

"I don't want you to come near this car, Nick!" Judy nearly shouted.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know those blueprints! It's nearly impossible to defuse these bombs, you know that! I will not allow you to get hurt by it, too!"

Nick was sure he could hear a bit of panic in Judy's voice, something he never heard before from his rabbit. "I'm not going to let you alone, carrots! I will be there in ten minutes, tops. And we will get you out of that car!" – the phone did a last long beep, then the call was disconnected and Nick's phone shows "Good Bye!" on the display.

"These bloody batteries, I forgot to charge them last night!" he threw the phone on the floor of the car while Delgato was avoiding a truck in front of them.

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 12:35 o'clock – ZPD car park, Judy's Police Rover_**

"Nick…? Nick…!" Judy stared on her phone, but the call was disconnected. She tried to call him again, but only got to his mailbox. She tried to breathe deeply, but eventually started to sob when her look roamed over the display of the satnav – 'Bye, Bye, Bunny – 25:37', the timer counting down every second. All kind of different thoughts were coming to her mind, then she thought about her family. She knew that this was maybe the last chance to talk to them. But she couldn't stand hearing her mom or dad cry right now. Another minute passed on the timer, and Judy came to a conclusion, starting the video-messaging app on her phone…

* * *

 ** _Wednesday, 12:48 o'clock – Car park of the ZPD_**

The bomb squad arrived with Marki nearly at the same time as Delgato was driving onto the parking lot with squealing wheels. Even before his rover stopped completely, Nick opened the door and jumped out of it. A few colleagues tried to stop him, but Nick dodged them all – that is everyone but Chief Bogo, who obstructed him out of nowhere and hold him with a firm grip.

"Wilde! Just calm down! Our best experts are already working to defuse the bomb; you cannot go any closer!" he was surprisingly calm, but speaking with a determined voice. Nick was still struggling to get free and Bogo sighed, squatting in front of him. "Nick, listen!" – the fox still had panic in his eyes, but stopped struggling at least. "We do what we can, but I'm not willing to risk another cop's life without stringent necessary!"

"I need a phone… I want to talk with her and my batteries died. Chief, please…" Nick looked defeated and his body was trembling. Without hesitation Bogo took his own phone from his pocket, unlocked it and handed it to Nick, nodding slowly; but he still kept his eyes glued to the fox, ready to stop any attempt to run to the police rover.

"Hello…?" Judy's voice sounded thin and Nick was sure that she had cried, his heard feeling broken at once.

"Judy! I'm here! But Bogo doesn't let me get near the car!"

"Oh, Nick…" she started to sob. "Please, don't get any closer! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"I don't mind getting hurt, I would switch places with you without hesitation if I could. Just be patient, our guys are working on disarming the explosive." Nick ran to the van of the bomb squad, where a monitor showed the streamed picture of the helmet camera. He started to study the layout while Judy tried to stop sobbing.

"Nick, we only have three minutes left. They won't accomplish to defuse it."

"Judy…"

"I love you, Nick. You have absolutely no idea how much I love you." – she whined quietly – "I'm scared. I'm really scared, Nick. But I will be brave for you if you help me. Just, please… talk with me… I want to hear your voice."

Nick didn't know what to say or do. His thoughts were dashing through his head.

"We've got a problem here…" some voice came out of a speaker in the van. Until now Nick hadn't realized that Fangmeyer was standing beside him until he spoke into the microphone now.

"What is it?"

"We could identify several trap circuits, but the last one is different from the original schematics. It's a fifty percent chance that we fire the bomb immediately instead of defusing it, and there is not enough time left to analyze the circuit further."

"You have absolutely no hint which of those two circuits is the fake one?"

"Not with less than two minutes left, sir."

Fangmeyer stared on the monitor, trying to see the solution, any hint in the layout of the bomb, but to no avail. He turned his head to Nick, who was quietly talking soothing with Judy, but staring on the schematics, too. Fangmeyer sighed – if they cut the wrong wire, he would at least lose two officers; and he would lose at least one if he's doing nothing. A short look to the timer showed one minute and 17 seconds left. When Nick suddenly started to run away, Fangmeyer wanted to stop him but then realized that he wasn't running to Judy's car – but to Delgato's.

"Get him out of the car!" Nick shouted to Delgato, who looked irritated; but McHorn knew what Nick had in mind and a few seconds later the rhino had clutched the hyena at his handcuffs and dragged him out of the backseat of the car, shoving him over to the van of the bomb squad.

"Okay, Bale. This is your chance to get some brownie points to your file! You know this blueprint inside out, it's you design! Just tell us, which of those both circuits is a trap, and which one will defuse the bomb." Nick yelled at the hyena.

"What's in it for me?" Bale smirked a bit, and Marki stepped beside Nick.

"You applied several times in the last ten years for eased detention conditions. We will arrange that you are no longer in solitary confinement. Meeting some other mammals from time to time may even improve your character."

"I want also a visitors permit every weekend!" the hyena was now grinning widely.

"Once a month, Bale. This, or you will go stale for the rest of your lifetime sentence in tightened solitary confinement without seeing the daylight ever again. What is it?" Marki barked.

"33 seconds…" Fangmeyer said.

Bale stared at Marki for another three seconds, then made a step forward and looked onto the display. "The upper one… just cut the grey wire and the timer will stop."

"Are you sure?" Marki asked alerted, watching Bales face closely for any hint of scam. "Not the purple wire?"

"Are you deaf? I said the grey one, or you will blow us all up!" Bale replied Marki's look without any sign of a trick.

"You will get visitors permit and regular custody… is it really the grey wire you want us to cut?" Nick asked, the phone pressed to his ear.

"Yes, officer. I'm absolutely sure about this!"

Fangmeyer didn't hesitated any longer and spoke in to the microphone. "It's the grey wire, we talked with the designer and are sure…!"

"NO!" Nick yelled – "Cut the purple one!"

"What?!" Marki and Fangmeyer stared at him in disbelieve. "But I thought…"

Nick grabbed the microphone and repeated: "Cut the purple wire! It will defuse the bomb!"

"Sir…?", the voice out of the speaker sounded nervous and Fangmeyer looked over to the timer – eleven seconds…

"Nick…?" the tiger looked worried at him, then to Bale – but the hyenas face was a deadpan.

The fox slowly said: "Please, trust me… we are talking about Judy." – Fangmeyer still hesitated, five seconds left – "The purple one… please…" he repeated, and finally the tiger nodded slowly.

"It's the purple wire, cut it!" Fangmeyer spoke into the microphone.

The same moment Nick talked to Judy: "I love you, Judy…"

"I love you, Nick… thank you for everything."

One second left… and suddenly the display of the satnav went black.

The speaker cracked quietly, then the technician said: "Bomb defused."

Nick breathed deeply and let the phone sank. Fangmeyer stepped beside him, putting his paw on Nick's shoulder with a wide smile. "Good work, Wilde… really impressive."

The officer from the bomb squad opened the driver's door of Judy's police rover and with wobbly knees Judy slowly left the car. The bomb squad officer walked behind her in his armored uniform, supporting the rabbit who still was somewhat insecure while walking. Judy waved with a smile to Nick, but the very same moment an ear-deafening explosion shook the earth and nearby standing officers were knocked over by the shock wave or flying debris.

The wind was blowing coldly in Nick's face, but he couldn't care less. Chief Bogo was snapping orders to everyone and Bale had started to laugh gleefully. But Nick's only attention was on the blood and the body of Judy and the other officer in the armored uniform who were laying just a few meters in front of him. He was unable to speak or move, just staring open-mouthed, his whole body shaking and with jingling ears.

"Code 10-108, 10-52 at Precinct One for 10-45c! I repeat, Officers down in the car park of Precinct One, immediate ambulance needed!" – Bogo snapped at his radio, then turned around to Delgato and McHorn, who were keeping the still laughing hyena under control. "And get this psychopathic piece of dung out of my sight!"


	23. 3x02 - Three families

_"It's not important what we think, or what we do or what we believe in: each of us will die one day. Better to do as the old Yaqui Indians did: regard death as an advisor. Always ask: 'Since I'm going to die, what should I be doing now?'" - Paulo Coelho_

* * *

Over a hundred ZPD officers in their blue dress uniform were standing still on the town cemetery, a black stripe over their badge and silently listening to two lions playing the bagpipe and a drum (YouTube: "lpZiPZwwXhM"); in between a lot of civilians, too, mostly friends and family of the deceased officer, and a lot with tears in their eyes. Evelin had her head leaned against Sven's shoulder and her husband hold her paw tight, trying to comfort her. Stu and Bonnie were equally holding paws, their ears snugged against the head. Nick's face was a deadpan, staring dead ahead. It was late afternoon and the sun began to set when the funeral finished. The fox guided all rabbits to the car. While he was holding the rear door open for Bonnie to climb in, Chief Bogo called on him.

"Wilde… just a word."

Nick made sure, his mother-in-law had entered the car completely and slowly closed the door, then turned around and walked a few steps to the large cape buffalo.

"Sir."

"How are you?", Chief Bogo asked in a rather uncommon calm voice.

"Fine."

The Chief slowly nodded to the car. "What about…?"

"It will take a while."

"I want you to meet our health counselor on Monday and after that come to my office."

Nick nodded slowly, "Understood."

The buffalo saluted and Nick replied the gesture, then walked back to his car slouchy with Bogo watching him carefully.

* * *

 _Two days earlier in Bunnyburrow_

When Evelin finished the phone call with her mother-in-law, most of the kits were already finished with their lunch. She was still working at the community hall as a kindergartener despite her pregnancy; it was three weeks until she would have her first litter born and her colleague Desiree – another rabbit – was a great support. Of course Evelin couldn't be up and about the whole day, but she loved to play with all those young children. Their group consisted of 37 kits, most of them rabbits.

"Frankie, don't pull Beth on her ears. That's very rude!" Evelin walked up to two squabbling bunnies and squatted between them.

"But Bettsie punched me first!" the little boy replied defiantly.

Evelin turned to the little girl: "And punching is very rude, too." – she smiled softly. "I want you both to apologize to each other…"

Reluctantly both little kits murmured quietly a 'Sorry' and Evelin patted their both heads.

"Okay, what do you think. Should we draw a nice picture together?", Evelin's phone rang again with her family's ringtone. "You can already get some paper and crayons, I will just answer the phone and will be with you in a minute." – she winked and watched both little kits running cheerfully to a sideboard. Then she took her phone from her pocket – her mother's picture was visible and she answered the call.

"Hey, Mom!"

"Hey Eve… I'm sorry to disturb you at work. Just wanted to ask if you had heard something from Judy or Nick today?" the old rabbit sounded a bit worried.

"I had a quick muzzletime call with Judy yesterday evening. Is everything okay?"

"Probably it's nothing, my dear. Just got an odd video message from Judy and she seemed to be somewhat upset. But when I try to call her I'm always redirected to her mailbox at once, the same with Nick."

Evelin remembered, that she got a video message from Judy half an hour ago, too.

"What was so odd with her message? Anything amiss?"

"No… she didn't actually say anything like that but that she … loves us."

Evelin snickered, "And that's odd? I love you, too, Mom!"

But her mother's voice still was serious and a bit worried. "It's not what she said but… how she said it. It was kinda strange and alarming. Also, why didn't she just called me but send a video message?"

"Judy and Nick are currently working on a difficult case, when we talked yesterday she said something about having to lucubrate. Maybe she is just sleeping right now." Evelin smiled softly, but had a slight itchy feeling inside her stomach. Her parents could be overprotective really fast, but her mom's gut instinct was most of the time correct.

"You are probably right… it's totally harmless and I will just try to call her this evening again. Do you and Sven eat with us today or are you going to his parent's burrow?"

"I think we will stay in Bunnyburrow today. He has some appointments at the city hall, submitting our construction plans."

"Okay, looking forward to see you then! Bye, Eve!"

"Love you!"

When she ended the phone call, she searched for the received message from Judy. Normally they would just send text messages to each other's, her sister sending out video messages first to their Mom and now to her, was indeed rather unusual. Even more regarding to the time of day: Judy hated to be bothered during her shift. When Evelin opened the messenger and chat history with Judy, she stared at the last item in disbelief. Not only showed it the first frame of the video – a rather sad and ruffled looking Judy Hopps with tear-stained eyes – but the video was almost five minutes in length. The bad feeling in her stomach got worse and she looked around for Desiree.

"Hey, Des…" she called her colleague, who was cleaning some plates from the table. "I have to make a private phone call, I will be back in 10 minutes, okay?"

"Take your time, Eve. I have a lock on everything in the meantime."

Desiree waved at her with a smile and Evelin walked in the next room, a small restroom with a couch, a table and two chairs. After taking place on the couch, the young rabbit caressed over her pregnant belly with a smile after she felt some little kicks from the inside.

"Okay Juju, what's on your mind…" she said to herself and finally pressed the play button.

* * *

Sven sat in the waiting area of the planning department and building control office of Bunnyburrow. The office was responsible for the whole Tri-Burrow-Area and there were quite some mammals waiting to have their construction plans approved. As it was currently November and most people wanted to start with their building project in spring, he had to wait in line with about a dozen other animals. The fact, that there were only sloths working in the department wasn't accelerating things, neither. When he got a text message, he starred on his phone, reading the message from his wife twice:

"S.O.S. plz pick me up imdtly work"

While hurrying out of the city hall and back to his car, he tried to call Evelin but only got a busy tone. Swearing he searched for his keys, noticing that he had left his plans in the office. But at the moment he was just solicitous for Evelin and what might have happened. She was only in her fifth week of pregnancy, still three weeks to go. Maybe she had an accident? Without being able to think straight he stepped on the gas.

When he entered the community center a few minutes later, he had to ask at the reception in which room Evelin's group of kits was, then hurried up a few stairs and knocked impatiently at a door on the left side. A white rabbit in a blue dress opened the door with a worried face, but she seemed to be relieved when she recognized Sven.

"Oh, Mister Brook, good to see you!" – she leaded him through the big room full with toys, books, tables and colorful wooden chairs. "I have no idea what happened, Evelin wanted to make a phone call and suddenly we heard her crying and sobbing." Desiree carefully pushed a few of the little kits, that were all standing quietly around the door to the restroom and looking worried for Evelin, to the side. "Come on, let us through please…"

"Eve, darling!" Sven quickly squatted beside the couch and laid his arms around his wife, hugging her comforting. He exchanged looks with Desiree and the other rabbit left the room again, taking a few kits that entered, too, with her. After Evelin's colleague closed the door and left them alone, Sven put his paws around his wife's head and patted her softly. "Please, tell me what happened. Do you have pains? Should we go to Doctor Greenwood?"

Evelin was still weeping, even more since Sven was trying to comfort her. She barely managed to shook her head: "No…"

"What is it, then?" Sven sat beside her on the couch and was holding the trembling body of the rabbit in his arms. His face was worried and totally stranded. It took another few minutes until Evelin stopped crying and now was only sobbing quietly. "Eve, what happened?" he asked again, nearly frantic.

"Juju…" was the only word she could utter before starting to weep again, handing him her phone with shaking paws.

* * *

In a large villa in Tundratown, Raymond – a polar bear – was walking rather fast through the big hall. When he reached the door of his boss office, he knocked. A few seconds later, Koslov opened the door, looking questioning.

"I got some important message from our snitch at the ZPD!" Raymond said, and Mr. Big replied from his armchair on the other side of the room:

"It's okay, Koslov."

The even bigger polar bear, who blocked the door, stepped aside and let Raymond enter the office.

"What is it, Raymond?" the little arctic shrew asked with his chair turned slightly in his direction.

"Mister Big, Sir. Our tipster at the ZPD has contacted us with some information regarding the rabbit cop. As far as he knew she might be the victim of an act of vengeance."

"Judy? What kind of vengeance? Is she okay?" the little shrew sounded honestly concerned.

"He did not want to say too much while on the phone, but there had been a bomb threat regarding her. Also we heard of an explosion at the ZPD, there are quite a lot of ambulances and fire service on-site at the moment. Our informant has no further information, yet. But as far as he knew it was the rabbits police rover that exploded."

Mister Big folded his little paws and thought for a moment.

"I want you to figure out if the rabbit was hurt or even killed. And meet our informant as soon as possible. I want to know what happened."

"Yes, of course Mister Big!", Raymond bent down his head, then left the room again.

Koslov returned to his boss and sat down on a bigger version of the armchair beside him.

"Judy Hopps rendered us a big favor more than a single time." The arctic shrew said thoughtfully, looking at the ring on his right hand. "Fru Fru would be heartbroken if something bad would happen to the rabbit cop. And I will not allow someone hurting my daughter! Also Judy is the godmother of my grandchild, she belongs to our family; even as a cop! Nobody is messing with our family. I want you to make sure that whoever is responsible for this will get a wholesome lesson as a warning for others!"

Koslov just nodded.

* * *

When Sven finished watching the video message from Judy, he put the phone aside. Evelin had calmed down a bit, still having her arms around his chest and resting her head on his shoulders. She wasn't crying anymore, but still had tears rolling down her face and sobbed quietly. Sven caressed over her cheek.

"This sounds really serious. Did you try to call her?" he asked. Of course he was sure that she probably tried it several times already…

Evelin nodded slowly, "Mailbox only." She muttered.

"Nick?"

"Same.", her sobbing was getting worse again. "I even asked Ralph for her boss's phone number; he has it since he did the videos for Nick's marriage proposal. But I could not even reach the Chief on the phone. Something really terrible must have happened, I'm sure Sven! We have to drive there immediately, please!" she looked pleading at him with her tear-stained, swollen eyes.

Sven was hesitating for a moment. "Are you sure you want to drive to Zootopia? It's a rather long trip and you shouldn't travel that much in your last weeks of pregnancy. At least we should take the train instead, it's less stressful."

"There is nothing more stressful at the moment as the uncertainty. We are talking about Juju; I need to get there as soon as possible! Please, honey…" she started to cry quietly again.

Her husband sighed lightly and gave Evelin a kiss. "Okay, whiskers. We will drive to the city. Maybe you should refresh yourself a little in the bathroom while I will explain to Desiree that there is an emergency in the family and you have to go early."

Evelin nodded and got off the couch. "Thanks…"

"Don't mention it, as you said we are talking about Judy. I'm worried, too!"

While Evelin left for the bathroom, Sven entered the main room again and looked for Desiree. The white rabbit was sitting along with some other young rabbits and two black sheep at a table, painting in a coloring book. When she noticed Evelin's husband she got up from her own chair and walked over to him.

"How is she?", Desiree asked worried.

"She got an unforeseeable bad message from one of her older sisters and has an emotional shock, I think. But we don't know any further details at the moment. Is it okay, if she leaves early today?"

"Oh my god, yes of course! I hope it is nothing serious."

Sven nodded. "We, too"

"A few of her little siblings are also in our group..." Desiree looked over her shoulder. "Do you want me to tell them?"

"No, as long as we don't know any details it's better if we don't flush birds. If they ask what's the matter, just tell them she …" he shrugged with his shoulders. "I don't know, had bumped her foot and that's why she was crying?"

"Okay, don't worry about that now. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!"

"Thank you." Sven sighed and thought of the video message. Judy never was the dramatic type of mammal; when she was sending this farewell note to Evelin it must have been really serious, he was sure. But that she wasn't answering her phone now leaves only one conclusion, namely Judy being dangerously wounded – or even worse. The imagination of it frightened him more than he would admit, but Evelin was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He was not only afraid for Judy, but also for Evelin and their unborn kits.

"Okay, let's go." Evelin entered the room and was nearly running towards the exit. "Bye Des!"

"Bye, darling. Give me a call if you know more.", Desiree said sympathetic and when the little Hopps siblings Bella, Bobby and Lucas sprung off their chairs and wanted to follow their big sister, the white rabbit quickly grabbed them by their arms. "Come here, sweeties. Evelin is going with Sven, you will see her again later, okay?"

Sven waved a short goodbye and followed his wife out of the door, trying to catch up with her. "Eve, slow down a bit, please. You really shouldn't run now!"

* * *

Nick's shock of the exploding car, right after the relief that they could defuse the bomb, was profound and he was unable to move or speak. Everything around him played like in slow motion, just as if he wasn't part of the scene himself. Someone was speaking to him and – when he didn't react – shaking him on his shoulders.

"Are you injured? Nick!", the shaking got worse and slowly he could recognize Marki standing right in front of him. The fox just nodded with his head, having totally misunderstood the question, then suddenly started to look frantically for Judy and leaped forward past the dire wolf. Just a few meters apart laid the body of his rabbit. He kneeled beside her, Judy laying on her side contorted and with bloody spots all over her fur. The flying debris – mostly small metal and glass shrapnel from the exploded car – injured her mostly on her back and head; being slammed on the floor left more injuries on her front. Her eyes were closed, but Nick could see her chest moving and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Carrots!" he put his paws on her body and cheek. "Hang in there! The ambulance is already on its way. I will not leave your side!"

Judy opened her eyes slightly, but couldn't say anything but a quiet whimper; her body was trembling under Nick's paws. After a few seconds she lost consciousness again and Nick turned around to take a closer look to the scenery. Their old police rover was still burning, the flames being several meters large. In a perimeter of maybe ten meters were three other officers laying or kneeling on the floor, but already pulling themselves up again with the help of some colleagues. Just two meters behind Judy the body of the bomb squad member laid on the floor, Fangmeyer kneeling beside him. The armored body suite was shredded on the backside and a pool of blood grew beneath the unconscious colleague. He was a tiger as Nick could now recognize by the visible fur; his condition was at least as severe as Judy's. In the distance the fox could hear wailing sirens that slowly became louder.

"The ambulance is nearly there, carrots. Just a few more minutes…" he talked to her but couldn't recognize his own voice. Judy's breathing was getting unsteady and quicker and she started to cough some blood; Nick could do nothing but gazing helplessly to his little bunny that was so fragile-looking right now. Someone put a hoof on his shoulder and when he turned around his head, Chief Bogo was standing right beside him. He must have asked something, based on his questioning look.

"She is alive, but her condition is getting unstable." Nick nearly shouted to drown out all other noises. Bogo nodded briefly and ran to Fangmeyer and the other colleague. The fox noticed, that the cape buffalo had a few small slash wounds on his arm and face himself, but still was calm and had everything under control. Nick was venerating his Chief's composure right now – he wouldn't be able to do so.

Finally, an ambulance arrived on the parking deck and a short moment later was followed by two more. Over half a dozen paramedics left the cars with their emergency bags and rushed toward the different locations where injured officers were standing or even laying on the floor. Two were also approaching and kneeling beside Judy right now, thrusting Nick aside and starting to examine the rabbit.

* * *

Mister Big was listening to Koslov, who was reading out loud the most important details of the crime file Raymond brought them from their ZPD informant just a few minutes ago. It was a copy of the current case most of the police was working on: The bombing of the transformer stations, the jailbreak attempt with the tanker truck, the specific blueprints of Bale's explosives, Wooly Ramses, … everything the cops had collated in the last three days. Raymond even made a few photos with his smartphone of the current crime scene and had passed the confirmation, that Judy Hopps was actually the next target by Wooly Ramses and currently dangerously wounded – but still alive.

"That is a good news.", Mister Big nodded slowly. "Call Mister Otterton to send her a bouquet and also give Doctor Harrington a call. I only want the best medics to treat her." – Harrington was the family doctor of the Big family, and one of the best surgeons and internists available in Zootopia.

* * *

During their whole two hours trip Evelin tried to reach Judy or Nick on their mobiles, but to no avail. In the distance the first high buildings of Zootopia became visible when her phone battery died and she throw it frustrated on the dashboard.

"You have to try to calm down a bit, honey…" Sven said worried.

"I cannot get her voice or her sad face out of my mind. Every time I close my eyes I see her crying, it's tearing my heart apart. I fear the worst, Sven. She seemed so hopeless and final." Evelin sobbed.

"I know, whiskers." Sven sighed. "This video scared me to death, believe me! But I'm also worried about you. Please, try to calm down just a little bit. We will arrive in about twenty minutes, until then you cannot do anything."

Evelin nodded and wiped away her tears again. After switching on the radio for some distracting music (YouTube: "rEbikGtruOc"), she looked out of the side window, watching the landscape rolling past. When the last song finished, the radio host started to talk again.

"That was 'Bonfire' by Alma and Felix, and now we are switching over to our live correspondent Mike Foster who is at Precinct One, the main police station of Zootopia where an hour ago a bomb attack was committed. Felix, could you see how the land lies?" – "Well, as far as I can ascertain, todays bombing was just the last one in a row of attacks. The blackouts of the last few days were also the direct consequences of bombings. Since the last attack was targeting not a transformer station like the previous ones but the officers at the ZPD, a terror attack cannot be ruled out at the moment. An insider told me, that the attack at the police station wasn't random, but targeted at a specific officer, who's name couldn't be confirmed at this time; but based on an overheard radio transmission it was directed for Officer Judy Hopps of the ZPD. She attained mainstream fame in Zootopia nearly two years ago as the first bunny cop when she busted the former mayor of Zootopia, Dawn Bellwether, as the mastermind behind the night howler attacks. From reliable sources we learned that several ZPD officers were injured during the latest bombing, some of them still in a serious condition. If officer Hopps is also amongst them is currently unknown. Chief Bogo, head of the ZPD, announced in a first press statement, some suspects were already identified or even arrested, and the offence will be punished with the full vigour of the law." – "Thank you, Felix. The bombing caused a lot of street barriers in midtown. Even public transport is detoured, some bus and tram lines were canceled for the next hours. You should bypass this region if possible! And now back to some more positive beats by Gazelle and her newest hit …"

Sven had to stop at the roadside because Evelin got so sick during the radio interview that she had to vomit. When she finally re-entered the car, her husband had switched off the radio again, looking even more worried than before.

"Are you alright?" he put his paw on her shoulder.

"It has to work." Evelin said with blank voice and vacant expression.

Sven hesitated for a moment, but didn't know what else to say. The news from the radio confirmed their grave concerns, even if nobody would have ever guessed a bombing in Zootopia. When he continued their road trip, he quietly asked:

"Did she mentioned any personal assaults when you talked to her yesterday?"

Evelin just shook her head. "She said something about a difficult case. And that they were doing extra hours. Everything seemed so normal…"

They drove for a few kilometers in silence when he said:

"The inner city is cordoned off. I don't think that we can get to the police station right now."

"We should try to get to the hospital. When there is any hope for her to be alive, she will be there."

Sven nodded and when they entered the first suburb of Sahara Square he started to look out for corresponding street signs.

* * *

Nick was sitting in the waiting area of the Zootopia-Plainsboro-Hospital, together with Fangmeyer, Marki and Francine. Most colleagues had only light injuries and could be treated on-site. Bogo was still at the precinct, organizing forensics and clearing work, but promised to join them at the hospital as soon as possible. Only two officers had to be treated for serious injuries and were currently within the emergency department: Judy Hopps and Selah Reed, a Bengal tiger and the bomb squad member who was with Judy when the car exploded. The tiger had severe burns on his back and a small metal beam of the car body had penetrated his stomach, causing a massive blood loss. He kept away with his armored body most of the explosion shock wave and flying debris from the much smaller rabbit, that walked in front of him. But Judy had nonetheless quite a few injuries from flying shrapnel and from being crushed to the floor.

The ZPD officers were waiting for more information about their colleagues for nearly an hour, getting more and more nervous over time. Finally, a black cougar was entering the room in a green surgery coat and all police officers get up from their seats impatient and expectantly.

"Misses Hopps is out of surgery. She had some internal bleeding caused by two broken ribs that perforated her lungs. We also removed nearly two dozen shrapnel from her back and head, that caused a few gashes and several incised wounds. We also assume a cerebral concussion and her cardio-vascular levels are still somewhat unstable for currently unknown reasons."

Nick's face was a battlefield – he just wanted to know how Judy was doing and didn't understand all those medical terms right now. Fangmeyer noticed that Nick was unable to cope with the situation, put his paw calming on the fox' shoulder and then asked the cougar himself:

"How is Officer Hopps doing, will she be okay?"

The doctor nodded slowly. "Sorry, I should have started with that… we will keep her under close observation for the next few hours and I arranged some more tests to determine the cause for the low blood pressure. But we assume that she will recover completely and can be discharged in a few days."

"Thank goodness!" Nick breathed deeply with relief, as did all others, too. "Where is she?"

"She is still in anesthesia and need to rest. But you can visit your brave colleague tomorrow."

"I'm going nowhere! I promised her that I will not leave her side!" Nick replied stubborn but the medic shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but be assured that we will take care of your partner."

Nick's legs started to turn into jelly, he was feeling too exhausted to have a verbal fight with the cougar, but also wasn't willing to leave Judy alone.

"Excuse me doctor…?" Fangmeyer began.

"Harrington." The cougar replied to the tiger.

"Doctor Harrington… Officers Wilde and Hopps are not only partners but also a married couple; and he had nearly lost her today due to a bomb attack. They were talking on the phone while they had to watch the timer of the bomb running down and it was kind of a wonder that we could safe her literally at the last second. Maybe you could make an exception for him, only this time; I believe it will also be in Officer Hopps' interest if her husband will be at her side when she wakes up, don't you think so?"

The cougar considered his options for a few seconds, then finally nodded. "Well, under these special conditions." – he turned to Nick with a light smile. "I will escort you to her, but she really needs to rest for now. If you would like to follow me, Officer Wilde…"

Nick nodded and turned around to the Bengal tiger. "Thanks, Larry. I really owe you one."

"Let her known that we all are wishing her to get well soon." Francine said and Nick hurried away with the doctor.

* * *

Evelin could hardly walk alone; the psychological pressure of the past hours was finally too much for her already stressed pregnant body. She was feeling sick, her look was bleary because of her crying and she had a racking headache for a while now. Sven supported her while they entered the hospital and a nurse approached them immediately, offering the ill-looking rabbit a wheelchair.

"Are you in pain or are you even already in labor?" the young doe asked helpfully.

Evelin wanted to reject the offer, but Sven was already conducting her into the wheelchair.

"I'm no patient, I need to know if my sister was taken to this hospital!" Evelin said insistently after she sat down.

"Maybe you should let a doctor examine you…" Sven said calm, but noticeable worried about her.

The nurse was holding Evelin's wrist, counting her pulse rate. "What gestation week are you in, Miss…?"

"Hopps. Like my sister, Judy Hopps. She is an ZPD officer and was most probably taken into this hospital as a patient! I want to see her immediately!"

"She is in the fifth week…" Sven answered the doe's other question, staying as calm as possible. "We just arrived from Bunnyburrow by car because of her sister sending her a farewell note. On the way we heard about the bomb attacks on the radio. That's why my wife is in such a bad and nervous condition."

Evelin got off the wheelchair and nearly shouted: "I'm in no bad condition, I …" – she gasped suddenly and had to hold fast onto the doe to not faint, putting her other paw onto her belly.

"Eve!" Sven grabbed her arm immediately and pushed her softly back into the wheelchair. Slowly crawling over her head, he turned to the nurse. "I think we need a doctor for her…"

The doe nodded and wanted to turn around, but Evelin hold her on her white coat. "No! I first need to know if Judy is here! You can examine me as long as you want when I have seen my sister!"

"Eve… please be rational." Sven begged but his wife just shook her head vigorously. He sighed and turned to the doe again – "Well, could you please take a look if her sister, ZPD Officer Judy Hopps, was brought into here?"

"I'm really sorry, but we are not allowed to give out patient information, especially not about ZPD officers."

Evelin tried to get out of the wheelchair again, but this time Sven hold her down gently. The pregnant rabbit started to cry again helplessly, and her husband was looking to the nurse seeking for help.

"Mister and Misses Hopps-Brook?" an exhausted but still authoritative voice was heard from behind them and both, Evelin and Sven, turned their head. Chief Bogo had entered the foyer of the hospital and recognized the two rabbits at once. "What are you two doing here?" – he tried to sound noncommittal, but he was afraid that he already knew the answer, based on the crying bunny he last saw during her and Judy's double wedding ten days ago.

"Chief Bogo!" Evelin sobbed and tried again to get off the chair, and again Sven was holding her back.

"Chief! Thank heaven that we meet you. We heard what happened on the radio and Evelin received a disturbing message from Judy a few hours ago. Assuming the worst we drove here immediately because we couldn't reach neither Judy, Nick nor you on the phone."

Frisking his pockets, the buffalo was swearing quietly. "I had lent my phone to Wilde shortly before the car bomb…" he hesitated and both' rabbits' eyes grew big. With a sigh he rubbed his eyes with a hoof. Then he slowly continued in a hushed tone: "The rumors from the news are sadly correct: Your sister was the target of a suspect who planned a bomb attack on her. She was sitting in her car when the bomb was armed, but we could disarm the explosive timely. Or at least we thought that we had disarmed it. Officer Hopps had just left the car accompanied by a colleague of the bomb squad when it exploded nevertheless." Evelin whimpered, her paws put over her mouth. "She survived!" Bogo assured her immediately. "But both officers had serious injuries and were taken to the hospital. I was still on-site until now, but their colleagues are already here, including Officer W… - I mean, including Nick. I would suggest that we meet them to get the latest information, if you are feeling okay that is. Maybe you should see a doctor first…?" he suggested to Evelin slightly worried, but the rabbit shook her head vigorously again.

"I want to know how Juju is doing, first!"

 _(YouTube: "Vy7yuj-UrNI")_

Sven sighed but nodded slowly, as well did Bogo. "Okay, then please follow me…" the Chief said and headed for the emergency department. They approached an officer in uniform who was securing a door to a locked-down wing. He saluted to Chief Bogo and looked over the two rabbits escorting him. "They belong to Hopps and Wilde, they are allowed to pass."

The officer nodded and let them all pass through the door. Behind it was another corridor with closed doors to both sides and a waiting room at the other end. They walked along the short hallway and noticed a doctor in a green surgery coat talking to Fangmeyer, Marki and Francine.

"I'm really sorry, we tried everything to safe your colleague but the injuries and the blood lost was just too big. Your friend didn't regain consciousness again, I'm afraid." The doctor was talking regretfully and Francine started to sob quietly while Marki tried to comfort Fangmeyer who collapsed into a chair. Bogo stopped dead in his tracks as did Sven.

"No!" – Evelin stumbled down her wheelchair while trying to get up and let herself fall onto the ground. She started to cry uncontrollably and Sven quickly kneeled beside her, putting his arms around her shoulders, having tears in his eyes himself. It was only then that the other officers noticed the two rabbits beside their chief. The doctor, a leopard, leaped over to the ill-looking pregnant rabbit and tried to examine her for injuries.

Bogo walked up to Fangmeyer, who was the team lead for this case. "It's not your fault, Larry... you did a good job." – Fangmeyer didn't repeat anything but nodded lightly with his head. Bogo didn't want to ask, but he had to. "They didn't make it?"

As Fangmeyer couldn't talk right now, Marki stepped in to explain: "Officer Selah Reed deceased on his injuries during surgery. Judy Hopps will probably ride it out, the next hours are somewhat critical. But the doctor is feeling optimistic about her getting a full recovery eventually. Wilde is with her right now, but she needs to rest for today and isn't allowed to receive a further visit."

Bogo breathed deeply, this was the first positive news in the last hours. With a few steps he walked over to Sven, who was kneeling with tears in his eyes beside Evelin. His wife was curled up on the floor and still weeping, the leopard trying to sooth and examine her.

"Please, calm down Misses Hopps. You misunderstood the situation, Judy is alive and on the road to recovery." Bogo said slowly.

The doctor turned his head to the cape buffalo: "Hopps? Is she related with the other casualty, Officer Judy Hopps?"

Bogo nodded – "She is her sister and came to Zootopia when she heard about the assault."

"And when she overheard me talking with your colleagues she thought I was talking about her sister…" the leopard turned to Evelin again, putting his paw on her shoulder. "Misses Hopps, your sister is alive. I'm so sorry about this misapprehension! But you have to try to calm down, please, and shouldn't stay on the cold floor."

Evelin had nearly stopped crying and was calming down slowly, trying to process the new information she got. Sven turned his head to the Chief with a sad look.

"Your other officer didn't make it then?"

Bogo slowly shook his head. "Officer Reed. He was the bomb squad member and a close friend of Officer Fangmeyer over there since their common time at the academy."

"My deepest condolences, Chief." Sven shook the buffalos hoof, then turned back to Evelin who had stopped sobbing and sniveled silently. He handed her his paw, and when she grabbed it he helped her together with the leopard to get up from the floor and they sat her down in the wheelchair again.

"How is Juju? Can I see her?" Evelin spoke rather quiet with a hoarse voice.

Sven just hold her paw within his' and watched the doctor examining her carefully: feeling her pulse, palpating her stomach, checking on her eyes and he finally tried to assume her temperature by putting his wrist on her forehead. When he stood up again, Evelin was still looking questioning at him.

"Your sister is currently sleeping, Misses Hopps. If you promise to not wake her up, I will escort you to her room." – the leopard said softly and Evelin started to nod eagerly. "But first I want to make some further tests on you! Your eyes and throat are sore, your pulse is way too high and you are dehydrated. Do you feel sick or did you even had to vomit within the last hours?" – Evelin hesitated but nodded finally. "Well, it's nothing serious. The last hours must have been a torment for you, I'm sure. But you also have to think about yourself and your unborn children now…" he smiled softly, then turned to Sven. "I will call a nurse to admit her and consult a gravidic specialist if this is okay with you."

Sven nodded and kissed Evelin softly on her cheek. "Whatever you think is necessary, doctor. Thank you!"

* * *

Stu was trying to calm down his wife who was walking up and down the kitchen: "Bon, my dear. Please, stop fussing."

"First Judy's message and after that she gets unreachable. Now Bobby told us that Evelin started to cry out of a sudden in the kindergarten and left early. And she is also unreachable on the phone! Both our daughters are currently missing, and you really have the balls to tell me that I'm fussing?"

"Did you try to reach Nick or Sven? Maybe they…"

"Sven! He was in Bunnyburrow today, maybe Evelin is with him!", Bonnie took out her phone again, searching for Sven's number in her contacts. Stu smiled and nodded, sitting down at the table and waiting for Bonnie making the phone call.

"Mom! Dad!" Valentia rushed into the kitchen with a haunted facial expression. Both parents turned their head to her, Bonnie even forgot to dial Sven's number. "You have to watch the news! Hurry!" – their daughter blurted out, then ran back to the living room where nearly thirty rabbits were sitting dead silent in front of the TV. Stu and Bonnie followed her on the heels with a worried look; the pressure in Valentia's voice was disturbing.

When they reached the living room, the news report about the bomb attack on the ZPD was running, showing pictures of the burning car wreck made by a helicopter, several ambulances already on-side. "We got the confirmation now, that the bomb attempt was directed to Officer Judy Hopps and that it's her police rover that exploded on the area of precinct one. Several ZPD members were injured, including the very first rabbit cop and members of the ZPD bomb squad. They are currently under surgery in the Zootopia-Plainsboro-Hospital. This bomb attack was only the last one in a series of assaults that caused the blackouts in the past days. In a first statement Chief Bogo assured, that some suspects for the attack were already arrested, others are currently still on the run." – a short clip from the press conference with Bogo was shown.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…" Bonnie gasped, but Stu collapsed into an armchair and panted for air, unable to speak. "Stu!" his wife was even more scared-looking now. "Valentia, call Doctor Greenwood immediately and switch off the TV! Stu, my dear, take a deep breath…", she opened the top buttons of his shirt and patted his cheek.

* * *

( _YouTube: "y8AWFf7EAc4"_ )

Nick sat on a wooden chair beside Judy's hospital bed. His bunny was sleeping peacefully, an oxygen tubing over her mouth and muzzle, electrodes on her chest and an IV line in her paw. She had a few bald spots on her fur where gashes had to be stitched up and a bandage was around her upper body. Nick was holding Judy's paw in his', watching her with dull eyes. He had made a big mistake when he intervened in the disarming of the bomb, nearly killing Judy and Officer Reed in doing so. He hadn't talked with Bogo yet, but it couldn't get any worse than the reproaches he already made himself. His eyes were closing and he dozed off for just a few seconds – but startled again immediately. The moment he closed his eyes he saw Judy flying through the air from the explosion, hearing the cackle of the hyena. With a sigh he rubbed his eyes, putting a soft kiss on Judy's paw.

"Nick…"

The fox turned his head with surprise. "Evelin? How did you…" he got off his chair, but then stopped. Judy's sister and best friend was sitting in a wheelchair, pushed by a nurse, and had also an IV line in her paw. "For carrots sake, what happened to you, are you okay?" he spoke quietly, but his voice was in panic.

"You have 30 minutes, Misses Hopps. I will pick you up again then." The nurse said polite with a soft smile and nodded to Nick when leaving the room.

"This?" – the pregnant bunny made a short gesture to the IV line – "This is nothing. How is Judy?" Evelin tried to get up, but Nick leaped beside her, putting his paw on her arm.

"Wait, I don't think that you should get up…" he pushed the wheelchair with his sister-in-law slowly towards the hospital bed and repeated with a quiet voice what the doctor had said previously about Judy's condition.

"How could this happen, Nick? On the radio they said that it was a specific assault against Judy. Who would do this to her?" Evelin started to hold her sisters paw and crawled it slowly with a sad look.

"I'm not aware of the current state of investigations." Nick shrugged with his shoulders and sighed. "She was at the precinct while I had another assignment; the first time I heard about the assault against her was on the police radio. But it may have something to do with our old night howler case." He didn't have the heart to tell her that he was eventually responsible for the explosion.

"The night howler case? But this is already two years ago!"

Nick shrugged his shoulders again and sat on his chair beside Evelin.

"Are you really okay, Eve? Sorry to say it, but you look terrible…" the fox tried to smile but it felt like an embalmed leer.

"Let's say, it was a demanding day that left its mark on me." She raised her paw with the IV line and Nick took it within his paw. "But it was Judy's life that was at stake, I would do it again and yet again."

They hold each other's paw and that of Judy, watching her together in silence.

* * *

Doctor Greenwood was examining Stu Hopps in the living room. All Hopps kits were sent to left the room, only Bonnie was sitting on a nearby couch. It knocked on the door, and Valentia put her head through the door:

"Sorry to disturb you, but Sven is on the phone." – Bonnie had given her mobile to her daughter to answer the calls, because since Judy's name was on the news it was constantly ringing from friends and family members who asked for more information.

"Green carrot, I totally forgot to call him because of Evelin." Bonnie sighed, but shook her head – "I will call him back later, my dear…"

"He said it's important, he has new information about Judy, Mom."

"Judy? What is it?" Stu Hopps turned his head and sounded nervously.

"Please, discuss this outside of this room! I need it to be quiet in here.", Doctor Greenwood looked disapproving to Valentia; Bonnie got off the couch and put her paw on Stu's.

"Take some rest, Stu. I will talk with Sven in the meantime."

When she followed her daughter out of the room, she took the phone.

"Bonnie here. Hey Sven. I wanted to call you a while ago because of Evelin, but as you presumably have heard already, Judy was on the news and we don't know how she is doing…"

"That's why I'm calling, Bon." Sven interrupted her – "Judy is out of surgery and alive, but has to rest for today. Evelin is currently with her and Nick."

"Thank goodness!" Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief and started to smile. "We already feared the worst… wait, you and Evelin are in Zootopia?"

"Yes…"

"But it came on the news just half an hour ago, how did you…?"

"Evelin got a video message from Judy, too. She opened it right after you called her this noon."

"And you two drove to the city immediately? What did Judy say?" Bonnie sounded worried again.

"It was rather… disturbing. I would prefer not to talk about it now, not on the phone, Bon."

"I understand." – Bon sighed. "How is Evelin? It must have been a shock for her; Bobby told us she was crying in the kindergarten." Sven hesitated to answer and his mother-in-law went into it. "Sven? How is Eve? Is she okay, too?"

"Well, yes…"

"Sven!"

"Evelin had a meltdown and eventually collapsed when we arrived at the hospital and thought that Judy didn't…" he sighed and could hear Bonnie gasping. "She had a medical and is okay!" he assured her. "As I said, she is currently with Judy and Nick and will call you later, but I thought I would give you a short call as a warning. I wasn't sure if you already had heard of the attacks from a newscast."

"I'm afraid so, they reported about it in the news magazine at six." Bonnie hesitated for a moment, then continued somewhat uneasy: "Stu collapsed into a chair when he saw it, we had to call Doctor Greenwood."

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Sven gasped, "How is he?"

"Doctor Greenwood doesn't think that it is a heart attack but a jar. He is still examining him, though."

"Sorry, Bon. I should have called you earlier." Sven sounded guilty, but Bonnie quickly comfort him.

"It's not your fault, Sven! You had enough on your plate with Judy and Evelin, and I'm really glad that both are going to be okay. I will pass on the news immediately! Say them all greetings from us."

"Of course, Bon. Bye…"

"Thanks for calling, my dear! Bye!"

* * *

After nearly 40 minutes, the nurse came back to Judy's hospital room to pick up Evelin again. "It's time, Misses Hopps, I'm sorry."

Evelin sighed and gave her sleeping sister a kiss on her forehead. Then she hugged Nick:

"Thank you. We will come back tomorrow to see after her."

Nick nodded slowly and replied: "Greetings to Sven and your parents when you are going to call them later."

"Yes, of course."

"Officer Wilde, your Chief is waiting outside and want to talk to you for a moment." The nurse said quietly to the fox when she took the wheelchair. Nick nodded slowly, gave Judy a kiss on her forehead, too, and followed the doe and the rabbit out of the room. When they entered the waiting area, only Sven and Bogo were still there. Nick assumed, that the others were with Reed right now and hoped the tiger was doing as well as his own partner.

"Nick!" Sven jumped from his seat, walked up to the fox and hugged him. "I'm so sorry…"

"Thank you, Sven. I would have preferred to meet again under better circumstances but it's good to see you." Nick patted the rabbits back and smiled lightly. "I already gave Eve our key to the apartment, needless to say that you can stay as long as you like."

"That's really generous, thank you."

"Don't mention it, of course you are always welcomed!"

"Would you excuse us for just a minute, Mister Hopps-Brooks? I have to talk with Officer Wilde." Chief Bogo had walked up to them and the rabbit nodded slowly.

"Of course, Chief Bogo." Sven said, then to Nick: "We will come back for a visit tomorrow. Keep a stiff upper lip!" he smiled softly.

"I will make sure that my Officers will let you pass to visit Officer Hopps tomorrow again." Bogo assured the rabbits who thanked him and left the room. When he finally was alone with Nick, he gestured to the chairs at the wall and followed Nick to them.

"How is Officer Reed, Chief?" Nick asked after sitting down.

Bogo sat beside him and shook his head. "Selah Reed deceased during the surgery, his injuries and the blood lost were just too big."

Nicks brighter parts of his head went pale and he lost every facial expression, slouching his shoulders. "I-I am sorry, Chief… I… don't know what to say…"

"You better should think about something until tomorrow." The cape buffalo closed his eyes and rubbed with a hoof his nasal ridge. "You intervened during the disarming of an explosive charge and as a direct succession of this, one Officer was seriously injured and another one was killed. I already talked with Marki and Fangmeyer, they came to your defense and justified your decision; and I'm willing to follow their appraisal of the situation. But internal affairs are already on-site and started their own investigation. They are going to interview you tomorrow. I really have no alternative but to suspend you for the period of their investigation."

"Yes sir." Nick said with a defeated voice, but Bogo put his hoof on his shoulder.

"Just be honest, explain what happened in detail. I will do what I can to accelerate this investigation and bring you back on-duty. Mistakes do happen, don't be too hard on yourself. Take the time to keep an eye on your partner. I also assigned two Officers as guards for Hopps and you who will make sure that neither Ramses nor anybody else will finalize what they started; he is still on the run."

"Thanks, Chief…"

The cape buffalo got off his chair. "Best wishes for Judy when she wakes up. I will accompany the detectives of the internal affairs unit when they are interviewing you. And try to get some sleep, you look terrible, Wilde…"

After the Chief left him alone, Nick went to the public restroom and splashed some cold water into his face. Leaning with both arms on the vanity, he considered his own mirror image for a while. He caused the death of another mammal, even another police officer! With his paw he stroked over his police badge on his chest – he wasn't sure if he could live with this burden.

When he left the restroom, he got a cup of hot coffee from a vending machine, tried a sip and grimaced – this one was even worse than the one in their office. After disposing it into the next trashcan, he walked back to Judy's hospital room. The rabbit was still sleeping, the heart rate monitor beeping in a constant rhythm. Nick sat down on the wooden chair and hold her paw, keeping his dull eyes glued to her the whole night.

* * *

It was towards zero when Wooly Ramses walked through some back alley. They had prepared their plan for more than a year: Calculating what transformer stations had to be shut down to cause a blackout exactly in their desired area, wrangle someone into the company responsible for the fuel transports of the government buildings like the pretrial detention center, gaining the trust of the best bomb builder, … all shoot down by the ZPD at the last minute by arresting his crew, and now he was on the wanted list. The only thing that worked out was the assassination on the one cop he hated more than every other cop: Judy Hopps! She had arrested his cousin and Bellwether and ruined all their dreams. Vengeance was the only thing he had in mind for the last years, and the former mayor got the connections and money to finally realize it. Her only condition was to be freed out of jail. Well, the prison break went wrong, but at least he had his vengeance: The news was reporting for hours about the bomb attack at the ZPD, the pictures of the exploded car were quite satisfying and it was reported that at least one officer was killed.

"So much for the first and probably last rabbit officer.", he snarled and took another sip from his beer bottle. He would have to leave the city for a while, maybe he could go to the eastern coast and start all over again with a new identity. His contact at the bar liaised him someone who could get him fake IDs and a train ticket and he should meet him now in this back alley.

"Are you Wooly Ramses?" a gritty voice with a Russian accent asked out of a dark spot.

The ram turned around startled and took a closer look; a big mammal was standing right behind him in a corner.

"Yes. Well, I hope not for much longer that is… you've got the documents?"

A big polar bear was stepping out of the shadows, his face dimly lit by the moon and a far off light post.

"I have indeed a message for you from Mister Big."

Ramses was getting uneasy; he had no idea, that his contact was a member of the Mafia family. Somewhat nervous he turned into the other direction and wanted to leave the back alley – but both ends were now each blocked by two other polar bears.

"What do you want from me? I have nothing to do with Mister Big's businesses or family!" the ram said on edge and retreated a few steps, knocking down some trash bins.

"You tried to kill the godmother of Mister Big's granddaughter, and Mister Big isn't appreciating someone assaulting the family."

"What…?! No, this is all a big misunderstanding!" Ramses was nearly screaming in panic now.

* * *

 _(YouTube: "HFC8V4iHAUc")_

 _"Nick, we only have three minutes left. They won't accomplish to defuse it." Judy's voice was sad and final. "I love you, Nick. You have absolutely no idea how much I love you." – she whined quietly – "I'm scared. I'm really scared, Nick. But I will be brave for you if you help me. Just, please… talk with me… I want to hear your voice."_

 _Nick grabbed the microphone and repeated: "Cut the purple wire! It will defuse the bomb!" Then he spoke into the phone again: "I love you, Judy…"_

 _"I love you, Nick… thank you for everything."_

 _Then the police rover exploded with Judy sitting behind the wheel._

The fox woke up, drenched in sweat and with a frantic facial expression. "Judy!"

"I'm here, foxtrot." Judy stroke with her paw over his snout; her voice was a bit thin, but she was awake and smiled softly at him.

Nick's eyes grew wide, and his frantic expression gave way for a fortunate one. "Judy…" he smiled with tears of joy in his eyes, then dashed forward and hugged her carefully.

"It's okay, Nick… everything is okay…" Judy returned his hug and whispered in his ears, quietly sniveling.

* * *

When Sven and Evelin came to visit Judy after the breakfast, the pregnant rabbit looked much better than the day before. Her fur was shiny again after a long shower in Nick's and Judy's apartment and she wore some white and purple sweater that belonged to her older sister. Judy was surprised but rather happy when she saw her sister and brother-in-law; and when Nick had to leave for his interview with the internal affairs department he was glad, that she had some company.

The three rabbits were sitting in the hospital room; Judy wasn't allowed to leave her bed yet but Sven had brought some cards and they were playing skat for a while now.

"I'm really happy that you are here." Judy smiled after they finished another round.

"Anytime, Judy." Sven replied also with a smile.

"Yeah, anytime Juju…" Evelin tried to smile, but eventually looked down. "You really scared the heck out of me."

"I'm sorry, Eve." Judy looked sad, she could only guess how much her sister must have suffered.

Evelin shook her head sighing and without raising her eyes she continued: "Your video message …" – Judy sighed and put her paw comforting on Evelin's. "You were so sad and final… I had never seen you like this before and I… I thought, that you… I mean, that …" – it was to no avail, Evelin wasn't able to speak out her thoughts aloud.

Judy's expression was sad and even guilty. "I had never thought of getting into a situation like this. And I suddenly realized, that there was still so much I wanted to tell you and Mom and Dad and Nick and all the others… I really didn't mean to upset you so much."

Evelin gave a laugh and sobbed shortly. "Just promise that you will try not to get in any mortal danger in the near future." – she patted her pregnant belly and winked – "Or at least just for the next few weeks."

Judy grinned somewhat and nodded: "I give you my word that I will try my best, sis!" – then she was getting serious again. "Did you show the message to our parents or … Nick?"

Evelin shook her head. "No, Sven is the only one, besides me that is."

"I think we should leave it like that. Mom and Dad would just get upset."

Sven looked somewhat uneasy with a side look to his wife. "Bonnie already asked me about more details of the video…"

"Me, too." Evelin replied with a sigh. "I said to her that you recorded the message in the belief that it would be your last option for a farewell note. She agreed with me that it would be wrong to watch it, now you survived." Evelin hold the paw of her sister tightly in hers.

Judy nodded slowly, "Thanks, Eve." – but her sister already started to grin slyly.

"Well… but I'm not sure if I could keep your little confession to myself." She winked, and when Judy didn't grasp what she was getting at, she suggested: "You know, baby bunnies love to have some playmates in their own age. It's not too late for you now…" – Evelin snickered when Judy flushed and the heart monitor was accelerating its beeps.

* * *

"You cannot drive to the city in your condition, Stu!" Bonnie insisted while cooking pasta for lunch.

"Bon, we have to! Remember when we drove all the way up to Tumbia to visit your sister Eames after she broke her wrist last year? This time it's our daughter and she was blown up! And Zootopia is only two-thirds the kilometers away as Tumbia!"

Bonnie sighed and turned around to her husband with tears in her eyes. "Do you think I don't want to be with Judy right now? I'm worried sick, honey!" – she hugged him tightly. "But you scared me to death when you collapsed yesterday, and Doctor Greenwood made it clear that you have to rest for a few days! Remember your granddad? He had his first heart attack when he was your age!"

"I'm not Gramps, Bon! I'm feeling okay again, it was just the shock. Also we can take the train instead of taking the truck."

"Stu…" Bonnie stumbled unsure.

"Honey…" Stu was nearly begging with his sad, big eyes.

Bonnie sighed – "When we call Nick and Judy later, we will ask if it is okay for us to visit them tomorrow." – Stu wanted to object, but Bonnie lift her hand in defense – "Tomorrow! Today you are still going to rest. Also I have to call Ralph, Clara and Jana if they can help out their siblings while we are gone."

"Okay, thanks honey!"

"Don't give me that 'thanks honey', if this over-excitement is giving you a heart attack or stroke, I'm going to slough you!" Bonnie winked with a soft smile.

"Fair enough." Stu gave her a tender kiss and hugged her again.

* * *

It was already afternoon when Nick finally entered Judy's hospital room again. He wore some black jeans with a dark blue shirt now and had a bouquet in his paws.

"Nick!" Judy smiled alleviated – "Sweet carrot where have you been? You were away for nearly five hours!"

"The interview took longer than expected." – he smiled weakly and put the flowers on the table. "How are you, carrots?"

"I'm fine."

"Your headache and the oppressive feeling in your chest?"

"Both became better, I'm really okay, foxtrot." She smiled and when he was finally in range of her arms, she hugged him tightly. "What did the commission of inquiry said?"

"Maybe we should leave you alone for a while…" Sven suggested, but Nick shook his head.

"It's okay, I think you deserve to learn the full truth, too."

Evelin raised an eyebrow but Judy sighed: "Stop blaming yourself for the explosion, Nick. You didn't plant the bomb."

"No, that was Ramses. He was recorded by the security cameras on the parking deck."

"I'm somewhat confused, maybe you could tell us everything from the beginning?" Evelin suggested.

It took Nick nearly an hour to tell the whole story, supplemented by a few details from Judy. They all sat quietly together for a few minutes after he finished.

"Why didn't the bomb explode immediately when the wrong wire was cut?" Sven asked eventually. Nick shrugged his shoulders, but Evelin said:

"Maybe it wasn't the wrong wire and you were right about the hyena lying to you? What made you so sure about that anyway?"

Nick got off his chair and walked to the only picture in the room, a colorful forest with a wooden hut on a glade. He put his paws into his pockets, then replied: "It was something I had read in Bale's old interrogation transcripts. When asked by the detective at that time why he detonated the bomb even after being arrested, Bale said he could never resist the emotional rush of being able to kill. And I remembered his bloodlust while Judy was interrogating him. When he eventually had the chance to kill her and even being able to let me watch it, I was sure that he couldn't resist."

"Sounds plausible to me. Really disgusting, but plausible; he was like a junkie – dried out and a jolt just hanging in front of his snout." Evelin declared her thoughts.

"Plausible or not, I was obviously wrong. I killed Reed and by a whisker even …" he stopped talking and leaned his forehead against the wall.

"Judy is right; you should stop blaming yourself. You acted the best, based on your knowledge and believe. And at least Judy will recover completely. It's Ramses that has to be brought to justice for this." Sven had get off his chair, walked over to Nick and put his paw on the fox's shoulders.

"Well, it may be a little too late for this." Nick turned slowly around.

"What do you mean?" Judy asked.

"His corpse was found today in the early hours; apparently he was beat to a pulp and thrown in the river to eliminate potential traces."

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Evelin hold in a scream and put a paw in front of her mouth.

"I'm difficult to pity him." Sven muttered, but looked shocked nevertheless.

Nick smiled somewhat amused. "If the officers securing this wing had not testified that I was in your room the whole night, and forensics would not had reported that the attacker was at least twice as large as I am, internal affairs would have arrested me for it only too willingly."

"Oh, Nick! You would never do such a thing, I'm sure!" Judy assured him her allegiance at once.

"Thanks, carrots." The fox smiled lightly and sat down beside her again.

"Do you already know, when Selah Reed's funeral will take place?" Judy asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Tomorrow at 15 o'clock."

"I want to attend, too…"

"Juju, you were blown up and are still in hospital!" Evelin protested.

"I only survived the explosion because of him. I owe him this, Eve!"

Nick sighed, he had already feared that Judy insisted on going to the funeral. "Let's see what the doctor will say tomorrow, carrots. Okay?"

"Okay… but then I would suggest you are starting to shuffle the cards for some poker. I'm on a lucky streak, you know? Surviving a car bomb and so on…" Judy winked and shoved the card deck to the eye-rolling fox.

It knocked at the door and one of the two officers responsible for their security entered the room. "Excuse me, but there is a visitor for you Officer Hopps. She said she is your mother-in-law?"

"Martha!" Judy smiled happily.

"Mom!" Nick got off his chair and hugged his mother. "Thank you, it's okay…" he nodded to the officer who left the room again.

* * *

( _YouTube: "qkP6Tf79UrM"_ )

Nick couldn't sleep that night again; whenever he dozed off he had nightmares about the explosion and start up from his sleep, sometimes even screaming. He turned around but there was only a blank spot beside him where Judy would normally sleep. Laying alone in their bed, surrounded only by the darkness and silence of the night, he felt as lonely as he didn't for a very long time; not since his father died when he still was a little kit.

Sven and Evelin were sleeping in the guest room of Nick and Judy's apartment. It was half past two in the morning when Sven suddenly woke up from a silent yell. He blinked a few times and realized that Evelin was sitting beside him, looking to the door.

"Hey, whiskers…" he said softly and put his paw on her arm. "Is everything okay?"

Evelin slowly shook her head. "I think this was the third time that Nick screamed in his sleep… I can even hear him sobbing now."

Sven erected his ears and listened carefully, then nodded slowly. "I can't imagine what it must be like to nearly lose your loved one, especially by something like a car bomb." – he leaned over to his wife and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

After another minute listening to the quiet sobbing, Evelin turned around to Sven. "Maybe I should go and try to comfort him… I cannot sleep anyway while I hear him suffer like that."

Sven smiled sleepy and nodded his head. "Okay, whiskers. But try to sleep a few more hours after that."

Evelin smiled and gave him a kiss, then got off the bed and dressed one of Judy's sweatpants and a pullover. She walked along the hallway and softly knocked on Nick's bedroom door. The sobbing stopped immediately.

"Yes…?"

The rabbit slowly opened the door and saw Nick laying curled up on the large bed, his head and ears raised and looking in her direction.

"Hey, Nick…" Evelin said softly. "Is everything okay? We heard you screaming and sobbing for a while now…" – she walked up to the bed and squatted beside it to look him into his eyes. It was dark in the room, but some lights from the city outside the window illumed his face enough for her to recognize his desperate and sad expression.

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't know you could…" he pointed to his own ears and dropped his gaze. "I will be quiet so you can sleep, Eve."

"Nick, I'm not here to raise a complain. We are worried about you." She put her paw on his arm and stroked it gently.

"You don't have to…" he muttered quietly.

"Dumb fox." Evelin smiled softly, but Nick didn't reply and just gazed into space. With a short sigh she stood up again. She walked around to the other side of the bed, climbed onto it and sat upright beside the fox, putting a pillow behind her head and leaned against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Nick turned around – "You don't have to watch me; just go to sleep again…"

"Come here, Nick…" she patted with her paw on her crossed legs and smiled softly; Nick rolled over on his other side and slowly put his head onto her lap. The moment Evelin stroked over his head and shoulder he calmed down immediately.

"I'm so sorry, Eve. I…" Nick started, but the rabbit hushed him.

"Don't, Nick. Everything is okay."

After laying there for a while, Nick spoke quietly. "This is the first night without Judy since we are together."

"You are missing her, that's only natural." Evelin whispered soothing.

"I have nightmares every time I close my eyes." He whimpered quietly – "I try to rescue her, but I fail over and over again, killing her in the end with my efforts."

"I guessed something like that." Evelin stroked over his cheek. "But Nick, it's only a dream. You did not kill her, Judy is alright."

"Not for my sake. I killed her with my intervention but fate had some other plans for her."

"If anything it was fortunes way to give you two a second chance. Judy would bet her life on you anytime again."

"Perhaps this would be a mistake."

"I don't think so, and neither does Judy." Evelin smiled and gave him a comforting kiss on his forehead.

It still took a while but eventually Nick fell asleep and breathed calmly. She was glad that she could comfort him enough to rest for a few hours. Eve continued to stroke his head and arm for a while until she finally fell asleep, too.

* * *

It was quarter past six in the morning when Nick woke up, only sleeping for about three hours; but that was more sleep than he had for the last days. Also he couldn't remember if he dreamed anything. He got up slowly, carefully took Evelin by her legs and shoulders, and lay her down flat on the bed. She moved a little in her sleep and Nick tucked her in the blanket. It was a familiar and yet odd view; Evelin looked nearly the same as Judy except for a few dark spots around her eyes. Also she was wearing Judy's clothes: Some sweatpants and a wide knit sweater made by their mother. Nick turned around to close the curtain, keeping the room dark at the rising of the sun, and left for a hot shower.

When Sven left the guestroom at half past seven, he found Nick sitting in the kitchen. He had made some waffles and set the table with self-made marmalade from Bunnyburrow, different types of tea in a small basket and fresh minced vegetables. The fox sat on a chair he had pulled in front of the window, a mug with coffee in his paws, looking out of the window into nothing.

"Good morning, Nick."

Nick turned around like he was awaking from a daydream and smiled lightly. "Good morning, I made some breakfast for you." – he got off the chair and walked to the counter, switching on an electric water jug. "You two are drinking tea, if I remember correctly?"

"Yes, thank you. But you shouldn't have bothered to make us some breakfast." Sven smiled and sat down at the table.

"It's the least I could do after disturbing your well-deserved night's rest." He smiled a bit awry but Sven stopped him by a wave of his paw.

"Don't mention it, Nick." – the rabbit took a waffle and put some carrot marmalade on it. "You want to go to the hospital again, don't you?" – Nick nodded slowly. "Stu and Bonnie are arriving at the station only in a few hours. Eve and I can collect them, we wanted to go to the city anyhow to buy something to wear during the funeral. We will come to the hospital afterwards."

"You don't have to accompany us to the funeral, you didn't even know Reed…" Nick said and brought Sven the pitcher with the boiling water for his tea.

"He was a colleague of you, and as Judy said it's the least we can do for him."

"Thank you." – Nick nodded slowly, then smiled somewhat – "For everything, you two are really a great support."

"That's what family is supposed to be."

Nick smiled and walked to the bathroom. He came back with two suit bags on his arm. "We will meet at the hospital later. And tell Eve my thanks for last night."

Sven nodded, replying his smile, and Nick left the house.

* * *

"Your waffles are slowly getting even better than Mom's." Judy winked at her fox who brought her some of the waffles for a second breakfast.

"Well, based on the fact it's nearly the only thing I can cook, they better be good." He smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"How did you sleep last night?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Most of the time with closed eyes."

"Dumb fox."

"Sly Bunny."

They both smiled and Judy ate another waffle. "I'm not taking the mickey, Nick. Could you sleep at least a few hours?"

"Maybe two… or three."

"Better than nothing." Judy sighed.

"Yeah… thanks to Eve."

"Mh?"

"She spent the night in your bed and consoled me…"

Judy stopped chewing for a moment, cocked her head and grinned slyly. "Well well! You spent the night with my sister in my bed, mh? I bet she was a great consolation for you."

The dumb look on Nick's face was a sight for the gods and after a few seconds Judy broke out in laughter. She only stopped when her chest hurt, the two broken ribs would take a while to heal.

"Dumb bunny." Nick muttered, but was smiling softly.

"Sorry, Nick. But you furnished me a fit occasion for this!" she wiped away some tears of joy and gave him an affectionate kiss.

"What about you, could you find some rest?" he stroked her paw.

"Not at first, but they gave me some drops to ease." she smiled softly and stroked his cheek. "It was the first time since we had started dating that I didn't spent the night with you. I found it difficult to sleep alone again."

"Me too, carrots." He gave her a kiss on the paw. "But…" he hesitated for a moment, looking into her eyes. "…it was odd to see a rabbit laying in your bed, looking nearly the same as you but being pregnant."

Judy felt her ears getting hot and the heart monitor accelerated it's beeping noticeable. "We are not…" she stumbled sheepishly, "…she has these dark spots…" Judy was gesturing nervously with her other paw in front of her face.

"I know, carrots. She has those little dark spots around her eyes, and your eye color is somewhat brighter." Nick took her other paw with his' and his smile was disarming. "But that's not what I was talking about."

"N-No?" Judy's chest started to hurt again, but this time it wasn't her ribs.

"We never really talked about it, and that's mainly my fault, I know. I'm easily getting insecure and wasn't sure if I would be a good father or not. I always persuaded myself, that we weren't in a hurry. That there is still so much time left. And who knows if you even want own kits. But if I learned just a single thing from the last few days, it's that we have to savor every moment because we don't know what happens next."

Judy sniveled with a smile. "I think, you would be a really great father, Nick."

"Does that mean, you also want to have kits?" he winked and gave her a kiss on her paw.

"Oh holy carrots, yes! I didn't even know that I want kits until Evelin got pregnant, but I never had the guts to talk with you about it! I first thought it is just my biological instinct, but when I thought I would never get another chance it became clear to me that it's only because I love you! Oh, yes! I really want to have our own kits! With you!" it was like a large burden finally left her chest and shoulders and she hugged Nick tightly.

It knocked on the door and Doctor Harrington entered the room.

"Well, it seems as if you are already feeling better, Misses Hopps."

"Misses Hopps-Wilde…" she smiled brightly, holding Nick's paw.

"Of course." The cougar smiled lightly. "I got the final results of your tests. Your x-ray is looking good so far, but it will take a while until the fracture has healed. I will prescribe you a light painkiller, but it is very important to rest. No heavy lifting or sports!"

Judy nodded slowly, then asked: "When can I go on-duty again?"

Doctor Harrington raised an eyebrow and turned to Nick, winking. "Is your little bunny always so impatient?"

"You have no idea…" the fox snickered and Judy punched him against his shoulder.

"Well, you will have to stay on sick leave for at least four weeks. Also after that I would only recommend limited duty, Misses Hopps-Wilde! We should make another x-ray then; do you have a family doctor?"

"Yes, Doctor Kathrin Alisson, she has her medical office in Sahara Square."

"Ah, Doctor Alisson! I guess you are in good hands then.", Harrington made a short note on her clinical record. "We also detected a hormonal imbalance and there are a few increased blood values. Nothing serious, but I will send Doctor Alisson those test results, too. She is specialized for the physiology of rabbits and can better assess if they are requiring treatment."

Judy's muzzle twitched a bit nervous and Nick crawled with his thumb over the back of her paw. She finally asked: "I already talked with the nurse that I want to go to the funeral of my colleague today. She promised to talk with you about it…"

Doctor Harrington nodded slowly. "My sincerest condolences."

"Thank you." Judy and Nick said.

"Well, as you can also rest at home and your other injuries are healing quite well, I don't see any necessary to keep you in hospital any longer. I will arrange that a wheelchair is provided to you, at least for a few days. Especially standing outside for several hours today would be too straining." He shook her paw, then Nick's, and left the room.

"It seems, as if you don't have to spend another night with my younger sister, foxtrot." Judy grinned but Nick kissed her deeply.

"Don't get me wrong, Evelin is great, but I would prefer you anytime.", he winked.

"Hope so, sly fox." Judy snickered.

* * *

Shortly after lunch it knocked on the door again. Nick was sitting with Judy on her bed and they were watching a slideshow of their wedding photos on his mobile. After a quick 'Come in!' four rabbits stormed the room, that suddenly didn't seem as big as before.

"Mom! Dad!" Judy shouted and her parents quickly came to her bed to hug her.

"Jude the dude!" Stu was beaming. "I'm so glad you are okay!"

"I hope you are feeling better, too! Did Doctor Greenwood really allowed you to travel?" Judy winked and hugged her mother.

"Well, kind of…" Stu smiled.

"What your father means is, that he interpreted the doctors order to rest a few days as traveling to Zootopia, because it would be more stressful for him not to visit you." Bonnie winked and nudged her husband with her elbow.

Nick and Sven snickered quietly while Judy and Evelin put on an indignant face.

Stu walked over to Nick and hugged him, too. "Good to see you, too. Are you okay? You look somewhat worn."

"Yeah…" Nick rubbed his neck, "Didn't slept very much."

"Of course, my dear." Bonnie hugged him, too, and then turned around to Judy again. "We brought you a basket with fresh vegetables and fruits, Sven brought them to your apartment already while we were shopping with Evelin."

"You were already shopping?" Judy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we didn't know about the funeral and bought something more appropriate." She smiled and gestured to her and Stu's rather colorful clothes.

"You didn't need to…" Judy began, but her mother interrupted her.

"We don't have to do a lot of things, my dear, but we are doing them nevertheless. That's what a family is supposed for."

Nick glanced to Sven who winked at him. Stu sat down on a chair that Nick offered him and Bonnie sat on the edge of Judy's bed.

"How are you, my dear? Do you have pains? Your fur definitely had seen better days…" she looked a bit worried over the spots where her daughter had been stitched.

"That will grow again, Mom." Judy smiled softly. "And the doctor said I can be released from the hospital today. It's only somewhat painful to breath because of my broken ribs, but they will also heal completely in a few weeks."

"Green carrot, you really had a guardian angel watching over you."

"More or less, without Officer Selah Reed I wouldn't be so lucky." Judy said with a sad expression.

"What even happened? In the news they said it was an assault against you?" Stu asked and Nick quietly left the room. Evelin and Judy exchanged a quick look, and when Judy started to tell her parents what happened, her sister quietly followed Nick.

"Hey, foxy, not so fast, please."

Nick turned his head around and saw Evelin trying to catch up with him. "What is it Eve?"

When she reached him she smiled and linked her arm with him. "I'm coming with you."

"I'm just going for a short walk, Eve…"

"Thought so." – she started to walk slowly and Nick followed her with a sigh. "I can image that it is disturbing for you to tell the story what happened over and over again."

"Yeah. I mean, I understand that they all want to know what happened, but it's like someone is twisting the knife in the wound."

They walked along the hallway and sat down in the waiting area.

"Maybe you should accompany Judy to the funeral without me." Nick said out of a sudden, gazing to the floor.

"What are you talking about, Nick?" Evelin seemed annoyed.

"They will all put the blame on me for his dead. Without my intervention he could still be alive. But I was thinking that I was cleverer than all others and now he is dead and my wife survived. I don't belong there today…"

"No one will blame you, Nick." She put her paw on his arm.

"I do."

"Maybe, but you're a dumb fox." – when he didn't react, she added: "Oh, come on… that's always working when Judy says it!" she nudged him with her elbow.

He turned his head with a vague smile and put his own paw on hers. "You mean it well, I know. Thank you…"

* * *

Nearly two hours later Nick had changed into his dress uniform and was helping Judy with hers. Sven drove with Evelin and her parents back to the apartment to change, too. They had agreed, that Nick would collect them there at half past two with a police rover – he already had cleared that with Bogo. While Nick was fastening up Judy's jacket, he smiled softly.

"The last time I saw you in this dress uniform was at my graduation."

"Seems like ages ago, doesn't it?" she put her police cap under her arm and moved a black ribbon across her badge, polishing it a bit with her paw.

When Nick got the wheelchair, Judy pouted. "I don't think that I will need that. I'm feeling okay."

"But me no buts." Nick shook his head. "It was one of Doctor Harrington's conditions that you are allowed to go."

Judy sighed and took place in the wheelchair. Nick put a kiss between her ears and smiled softly. "Thanks." – he then shoved her out of the room, along the hallway and through the lobby. When they left the hospital, two Officers in dress uniform were already waiting for them with two police cars.

"I guess, I'm not allowed to drive, mh?" Judy winked.

"No, you have to trust my driving skills this time, sorry."

"Is this why we have our own escort?"

"Ouch, you are hurting my feelings, carrots."

They both smiled and while Judy was climbing onto the passenger seat, Nick put the wheelchair into the trunk.

"We are driving to our apartment first, to collect her family." He said to one of the both Officers who nodded and entered their own car. Nick sat down on the driver seat of the first car; he hesitated just a short moment before turning the key, but even Judy noticed it, she didn't say anything; she also had hold her breath for a second. It would just take some time to lose these apprehensions again.

* * *

Over a hundred ZPD officers in their blue dress uniform were standing still on the town cemetery, listening to Bogo who made a speech about Selah Reed, his merits and how he would be missed by them all. The next one was Fangmeyer who told about their common time at the academy and how they were partners for two years on patrol. Evelin had her head leaned against Sven's shoulder and her husband hold her paw tight, trying to comfort her. Stu and Bonnie were equally holding paws, their ears snugged against the head. Judy sat in her wheelchair beside Nick whose face was a deadpan, staring dead ahead.

It was late afternoon and the sun began to set when the funeral finished. The fox guided all rabbits to the car, shoving Judy's wheelchair. He first held the passenger door open for Judy, then the rear door for Evelin and Bonnie to climb in. When he was closing the door, Chief Bogo called on him.

"Wilde… just a word."

He turned around and walked a few steps to the large cape buffalo.

"Sir."

"How are you?", Chief Bogo asked in a rather uncommon calm voice.

"Fine."

The Chief slowly nodded to the car. "What about…?"

"It will take a while for both the physical and mental injuries."

Bogo nodded, then he continued in a more official tone: "I got the final results of forensics regarding the bomb attack now." – Nick just nodded – "It wasn't your fault, Wilde, you made no mistake. The ignition mechanism was actually disarmed after cutting the purple wire. Cutting the grey one like suggested by Bale would have caused it to explode immediately. It's actually your credit that not more Officers died on that day."

Nick sighed with relief and lost most of his tension within seconds. "But… what caused the explosion then?" – his voice sounded still somewhat doubtfully.

"The binary explosive started to mix when the timer reached the last minute. After that it was an unstable composite like nitroglycerin, we could be lucky that it didn't explode even earlier. It was another security mechanism we weren't aware off, because we never could disarm the main-ignition before. You had a good nose for Bale and his motives and absolutely nothing to reproach yourself for. Internal affairs are already informed and I revoked your suspension. But I still want you to meet our health counselor on Monday and we will meet after that in my office."

When Nick sat on the driver seat a few minutes later, he leaned backwards and breathed deeply.

"Everything okay, Nick?" Judy asked worried – "What did Chief Bogo said to you?"

With a bright smile Judy had not seen on Nick for days, the fox turned his head to her and also glanced to the back seat where four curious looking rabbits were sitting. "You were right the whole time, carrots: It really wasn't my fault."

* * *

Adrian Bale looked up from reading his book when he heard someone turning the key of his cell door. A large polar bear in a dark suite slowly entered the small cell of the pretrial detention center.

"And who are you, Mister Handsome? Since when can a police officer afford such an expensive yarn?" the hyena snickered.


	24. 3x03 - Aftermath

_"So much of what is best in us is bound up in our love of family, that it remains the measure of our stability because it measures our sense of loyalty." –Haniel Long_

* * *

"So, what you are saying is, that although the ignition of the bomb was disarmed it had to explode either way, quasi a chemical spare ignition?" Sven tried to grasp what Nick had told them just a few minutes ago. After the funeral they drove to a small restaurant in Sahara Square to eat for dinner and after ordering their meals Nick had to tell them in detail what Bogo had said about the forensic report.

"More or less, yes."

"So it wasn't even possible to really disarm the bomb after this… what, fluids? … had started to mix?" Bonnie wasn't sure if she could comprehend this.

"But cutting the wrong wire would have caused it to explode immediately, right?" Evelin smiled.

"Cutting the purple wire disabled both, the timer mechanism as well as the pressure sensor in the driver's seat by disconnecting the current-carrying connection. The grey wire pulled the charge of a capacitor to zero, cutting it would have caused a voltage spike, sparking a small propellant within the …" Nick tried to explain but Judy put her paw over his mouth and smiled.

"Yes, Nick perceiving Bale's lie gave me enough time to leave the car and survive the assault in the end." she explained, put her arms around Nick's neck and gave him a deep kiss. "I always knew that my trust in you was justified!"

"This calls for a celebration!" Stu smiled brightly and waved with his paw for a waiter, ordering some champagne for them, respectively another pie-plant-spritzer for Evelin.

When they finally raised their glasses, Stu said: "To Nick, our hero of the hour!"

Nick smiled embarrassed, "Thanks guys…"

"Yes, thank you foxtrot." Judy leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Evelin – sitting on Nick's other side – leaned over to him likewise and gave him also a kiss on the other cheek at the same time.

"Thank you for saving my sister, foxy." She giggled and – seeing his befuddled face – all others at the table started to laugh, too.

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to kiss you." Sven snickered.

"Me neither." Stu chuckled and took another sip from his sparkling wine.

"I'm saving that for when we leave, honey." Bonnie winked.

"You don't really want to leave again as early as today, do you?" Nick asked.

"You could drive with us in our car tomorrow, you don't have to take the train." Sven suggested.

"But we didn't even take something to change with us. And you are already sleeping in the guestroom." Bonnie added for consideration.

"Well, we have a second guest room." Nick suggested – "There is only a convertible sofa in it, not a bed, but for just one night it should be suffice."

"It would be great to have you around for one more evening!" Judy smiled brightly, then added a bit shy: "Also… it might be the last time we have as much as two guestrooms available for you all to stay overnight."

"Are you going to move again? Actually I like your current apartment." Bonnie asked.

Judy glanced to Nick who rubbed his neck. "Well, no… but we plan to convert the rooms."

Evelin's muzzle began to twitch furiously and she exchanged some suggestive looks with Judy.

"Did we inspire you with our own renovation plans?" Stu chuckled – "I would suggest a small library, maybe even a fake fireplace. Or what about a hobby room?" he took another sip from his champagne.

"I don't think so…" Evelin started to grin slyly, still looking to Judy who started to twitch with her muzzle now on her part, too. "Really, sis? No kidding?", her grin grew even wider while the other rabbits began to look somewhat confused.

"Well…" Judy grinned a bit embarrassed and put her paw onto Nick's. The fox interlaced his fingers with hers and chuckled, giving his wife a quick kiss.

It took a few more seconds, then Bonnie suddenly said with her paws thrown over her mouth: "Sweet cheese and crackers!"

Stu looked even more confused now, looking from Judy to Bonnie and vice versa; Sven on the other side started to comprehend what was going on, too, and smiled widely.

"Would someone be gracious enough to explain what you are all talking about?" Judy's father finally said impatiently.

"Judy and I had quite an extensive talk today, and we came to the decision to… I mean that we want to… um…" Nick rubbed a bit sheepish his neck again. "that… err…" – with five rabbits having their eyes glued on him he was unable to articulate properly.

"We want to try to have children together." Judy quickly finished the sentence and bite on her lower lip with a shy grin.

Stu started to choke on his champagne and Sven slapped him on his back while Bonnie jumped off her chair, ran around the table and hugged Judy tightly while screaming happily.

"Ouch! Mom, please! My chest!" Judy's face was twisted with pain but she smiled nevertheless while her mother apologized several times. Evelin got off her chair, too, after hugging Nick firmly – now putting her arms around Judy's neck and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"About time that you both reasoned that out!" she snickered.

Next one hugging Judy was her father, then Sven – and Nick was getting his kisses from Bonnie after all, too. When Stu was finally hugging Nick, he even got a kiss from the older rabbit resulting in quite some laugher by all others.

"Who got the pizza fungi?" a waiter brought their dinner and they all sat down again.

"Wow, you two really know how to send your parents onto an emotional rollercoaster!" Bonnie giggled while trying her lasagna.

"Let me get this right Jude…" Stu started, poking in his eggplant-casserole – "…you are not pregnant, are you? Do you two want to adopt?"

"Dad!" Evelin urged him.

"It's okay, Eve. I guessed that this topic would prompt questions." Judy smiled but still seemed a bit uneasy. She shared a big pizza together with Nick, who was cutting it into pieces for them both.

"Don't get your father wrong, darling." Bonnie smiled – "We knew a few bunnies having kits with hares, but we have absolutely no idea if this is possible between completely different species. We are just curious, but would love adopted children just as much!"

Judy was glancing to Nick, who was really concentrating on still cutting the pizza like he was doing some kind of surgery. Maybe it was a somewhat embarrassing topic for her, but based on his palpitation of the heart, discussing some conception details with five rabbits – including the parents of his wife – was a bit too much for the fox.

"Well, it's not impossible for us to have biological kits according to our doctor…" Judy said, nibbling on a slice of pizza.

"Oh!" Stu blurted out.

"That's some great news, darling!" Bonnie beamed.

"Well, we will have to try it with …" – Judy coughed slightly – "…with in vitro fertilization. It's usually not working out by natural conception because of our different… physiology." She would have sworn that her head and ears had the same color as Nick's fur by this time.

Stu and Bonnie exchanged some looks, then he said with a proud smile: "It doesn't matter how, we will love any grandchildren!

"Yes, honey, we were way to inquisitive! We are just so happy for you!" Bonnie added and looked dreamy.

"Thanks Mom, thanks Dad." Judy smiled pleased.

Picking another forkful of her salad Evelin winked: "I don't care about the 'how', I'm way more interested in the 'when'!"

Judy snickered: "We will see, sis. We made a first appointment with Doctor Alisson tomorrow afternoon for a counselling."

"I will order another round of champagne to celebrate this.", Stu snickered but was restrained by his wife.

"I think we all had already enough champagne, darling." She winked and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

* * *

( _YouTube: "w-39b_MiZn8"_ )

It was nearly midnight when Judy laid on her bed in a fetal curl. Nick was laying behind her, petting her different stitched spots and bend forward to kiss her softly on her shoulder and back.

"It was a nice funeral, wasn't it?" Judy spoke silently.

"Yes… Bogo and Fangmeyer hold poignantly speeches." Nick replied quietly, then after a few seconds: "I hardly knew Reed, never had worked with him; just met him a few times in the Hollow Bar with other colleagues."

"Me neither."

Nick stroked carefully over Judy's arm, and after a while he said: "I can't get those bagpipes out of my head…"

The rabbit took his paw around her body and kissed it. "Yeah, they are really cutting." She sighed deeply but winced a bit.

"Do you have pains, carrots?" he whispered while stroking over her head and ears.

Judy nodded slightly, "Yes, a bit. But it's okay when I'm laying down." – she carefully turned around on her other side, now facing Nick smiling. "Or when I'm with you." It was dark in the room, but a few lights from outside the window illumed his face just enough for her to see him. With her paw she stroked over his face and smiled. "It feels good to be together with you in our bed again."

Nick snuggled his head and shoulder against her paw and closed sighing his eyes. "I missed you, carrots."

"We were together the whole day." She snickered and hold her arms in his direction. "Come here, foxtrot." He smiled and nestled at her side, Judy putting her arms around him. "I missed you, too."

Nick burrowed his snout into her fur, breathing deeply and letting her scent run through his nose. "I nearly have forgotten how good you are smelling." He whispered and kissed her shoulder and neck.

"After just one day?" she grinned and replied his kiss.

"In the hospital everything smells like sanitizer and the days before we were constantly working and were never alone for long. And don't even ask about the one and a half week at the burrow, so many different scents…!" he smiled and took another sniff.

Judy giggled, "Stop that, foxy! That's tickling!"

Nick pulled back his head and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Evelin is calling me 'foxy', you never did…"

"Maybe it's pleasing me." She grinned – "Or maybe I got an itsy-bitsy bit of jealous when she said it after kissing you, and you liked it."

Nick put on his sly grin, "Who wouldn't like it to be kissed by even two wonderfully beautiful, _cute_ bunnies?"

She punched him on his arm: "That's for pleasing a kiss by another bunny!" – then giving him a deep kiss, caressing his cheek – "And that's for calling me beautiful." – Nick smiled, then got another punch on his arm – "And that's for calling me cute!"

"Ouch…" he snickered. "Worth it every time.", giving her an endearing kiss.

"Dumb fox." She giggled and replied his kiss.

"Cute bunny." – he caught her little fist this time and snuggled his body and tail around her body, giving her another kiss with a smile. "I love you, Judy."

"I love you, Nick." She closed her eyes, enjoying the fox's warm body and listening to his heartbeat until she eventually dozed off.

* * *

The next morning, Nick and Judy woke up around half past nine after sleeping all through the night without waking up a single time. When the fox opened his eyes, he saw Judy smiling content at him.

"Good morning, slugabed." She whispered and gave him a soft kiss.

He grinned wide, closed his eyes again and snuggled against her face. "Hey, cottontail."

"Do you think you are awake enough for some breakfast?" she crawled his neck. "I'm up for some toast and a hot chocolate."

Nick pouted, "Leaving our warm and cuddly bed?"

"We still have some guests, foxtrot."

"You're right…" he sighed and set upright, watching her sitting up slowly on the edge of the bed. When she breathed slowly and hesitated to get off the bed, Nick crouched beside her. "I'm getting your clothes for you, just sit and rest here for a moment."

He got some beige-colored pants and her pink-white-checkered blouse from the bedroom closet, as well as some underwear, and brought it to Judy.

"How bad is the pain?" the fox asked worried.

"It's bearable as long as I'm not breathing." She replied with a little smile and let Nick help her to dress.

When she was finished, she walked to the sideboard and took one of the prescribed painkillers while Nick was dressing himself. When he was ready, Judy smiled and went ahead to the kitchen. Evelin, Sven and her parents were already sitting at the coffee table, all kinds of food laid out ready.

"Good morning, dormice!" her mother smiled and Evelin got off her chair.

"Ahh, finally! Hey sis, hey Nicky! I made fresh pancakes. Take a seat, they are ready in just a few minutes!" she hopped into the kitchen, switched on a stove plate and prepared a frying pan with some olive oil and stirred the dough.

"Did you two sleep well?" Stu asked, looking up from the newspaper.

"Yes, it was rather comfy to be in our own bed again." Judy smiled.

"And you, Nick? Still got some nightmares?" Sven asked, but Nick seemed to not listen and read some article on the backside of Stu's newspaper.

"Nick?" Judy asked, putting her paw on his arm.

"Mh?" he turned his head – "Sorry, I was distracted… Stu, could you lend me this paper for a moment?"

"Sure thing!" the old rabbit handed him the newspaper. "Saw something interesting?"

"It's safe to say so…" Nick muttered while studying an article. "Adrian Bale committed suicide while waiting in the pretrial detention center for his relocation to the Meadowland Prison."

"What?!" Judy nearly dropped her cup of hot chocolate and leaned over to him. Nick pointed onto a rather small article; Bale wasn't officially connected in the public with the attacks of the last days. But he was well-known enough for his former crimes that his suicide was worth a short news on page twelve.

"He was found hanging by the corrections officers when they checked his cell on their patrol around 17 o'clock." Nick read aloud.

"At least there are a hundred witnesses that saw you at the funeral." Sven said with a wink.

Evelin brought a plate with a dozen freshly made pancakes. "Now put those depressing news away, Nick. Mom brought her self-made blueberry marmalade with her, so tuck in!"

"What do you think about a walk through the city park?" Judy asked her parents while rolling a pancake together.

"Oh, maybe the next time. We want to decamp at lunchtime, honey." Bonnie said with a smile.

"Already? But it's such a nice day, Mom…"

"We left your siblings alone at home, I hope the burrow is still standing!" Stu chuckled.

"But we still have one or two hours to spend." Sven winked.

* * *

After a more or less tearful farewell, Judy and Nick made a walk through the city park by themselves. Now that Ramses as well as Bale were no longer any danger, the police officers put down for their custody were withdrawn again. They sat down on a park bench near the playground, watching a few little kits playing tag or seesawing together. There were a few rabbits and sheep, but also a little lion and two brown bears. It was pleasant to watch them playing together without any prejudices; those little kits were indifferent about their species, as long as their parents don't teach them otherwise.

"No, you behave childishly!"

"No, YOU behave childishly!"

"No, YOU are!"

"No, you!"

"No, you are the childish one!"

Nick and Judy were turning their heads to a kudu and a gemsbok walking along the path, arguing about something, and the rabbit started to giggle.

"Hey, Bucky! Pronk!", she waved in their direction and the two turned their head.

"Hey, look! It's the little bunny cop! How are you Yoda?"

"She's not Yoda! It's Judas!"

"No, Yoda!"

"No, Judas!"

"No, …"

"Actually…" Judy intervened, "…it's Judy!"

Nick snickered: "Happens to every bunny sometimes this does."

Judy rolled her eyes, then turned to Bucky and Pronk again. "Still living at the Grand Pangolin Arms?"

"Yepp, the rent is even cheap enough for our skinflint Bucky!" Pronk patted the kudu on his shoulder.

"At least I'm not as messy as this oryx!" Bucky replied.

"I'm no messy!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you…"

"Wow…" Nick grinned to Judy who let her ears hang down and seemed to be on the edge. He had heard a few stories about the rabbit's former neighbors, but the reality was surpassing these easily. "Why did you even had a TV, carrots? You had your own telenovela right on the other side of your wall!"

"Who's _that_ 'funny' guy, bunny?" Bucky asked cocky.

"Her boyfriend of course!" Pronk answered knowingly.

"Nuts! At most her lover!"

"Boyfriend!"

"Lover!"

"Husband?" Nick suggested, and the kudu and gemsbok looked totally dumbfounded.

"Our little bunny cop is married…" Pronk started, and Bucky added:

"…with a predator-fox?"

"Wow, I would have never thought of you as being biased." Judy raised her eyebrows and cocked her head.

"Biased?" Pronk looked irritated.

"That's amazing!" Bucky cheered, followed by Pronk:

"Totally!"

"Thanks, guys." Judy smiled brightly.

"You two should come visit us some day!" the gemsbok suggested eagerly.

"Yeah, do you swing?"

"Err… we will see about the visit." Judy's nose started to twitch.

"I'm a great swinger!" Nick winked – "But I prefer to dance the rumba, it's more body dancing and less exhausting than swing."

Bucky and Pronk seemed to be confused and Judy had to giggle.

"Sorry, guys. But we have an appointment in half an hour. It was nice to meet you again!" Judy waved smiling, and after a short farewell her former neighbors were proceeding to walk the path – already arguing about something again.

"That was interesting…" Nick grinned.

"Yes, reminded me of old times."

"With your swinging neighbors? Never thought you would be into this."

"W-what?! No! I had never with them…!"

"With them? But with others? Maybe rabbits?" Nick visible savored to tease her like this.

"N-no! I have never done such a thing!"

"But you would like to try it, wouldn't you?"

"N-Nick! Stop it!" Judy's inner ears were flushed into a darker red and her muzzle twitched nearly uncontrollably.

The fox snickered and gave her a kiss between the ears. "Let's go, carrots. I have a little surprise for you before going to Doctor Alisson."

Judy muttered something and slide off the bench. The fox put his arm around her shoulders and they walked to the nearest park exit. On their way to the doctor's office, they made a short detour through the pedestrian zone, where a lot of shops and restaurants were located. They entered a large phone shop and the fox lead them to the mobiles.

"I thought, since you left your smartphone in the exploding car, I might as well buy you this new model you were admiring since its release."

"Really?!" Judy clapped exited with her paws.

"I cannot let you stay at home the next weeks without a mobile, who should I chat with during working hours?"

"Maybe nobody? That's why it's called working hours!" she winked and looked at the different models and colors. When she saw a waterproof one in carrot-orange, she bit onto her lower lip. "What about this one?" she asked sheepishly.

Nick snickered, "I would have bet that you choose that color."

Judy grinned and they went to the checkout, also getting a replacement SIM card at the service point. When they left the shop again, she gave Nick a deep kiss and beamed from ear to ear.

"Thank you, foxy… err… foxtrot." She winked and Nick linked his arm with hers, snickering.

"Don't exaggerate it, _Juju_."

* * *

"Misses and Mister Hopps-Wilde, please?" a snow rabbit in a white coat called them up in the small waiting room of Doctor Alisson's office. Nick and Judy got off their chair, and the assistant directed them into a room with a treatment couch, a bookshelf, a desk with chairs and a few medical charts at the wall. "Doctor Alisson will be there in a few minutes." She smiled and closed the door behind them.

Nick and Judy each sat on a chair and waited a bit nervously, looking over the spine's in the shelf and the charts. Judy eventually started to pound with her right foot on the floor, but calmed down again when Nick put his paw on her arm. She looked at him with an awry smile, but Nick seemed to be calm and smiled pleased; at least on the outside. Judy could hear his heart beating nearly as fast as hers.

"Misses Hopps-Wilde! Mister Hopps-Wilde! Nice to see you!" an older rabbit entered the office and shook their hands with a wide smile.

"Hello, Doctor Alisson!" Judy smiled and tried to sound as confident as possible.

"I'm really glad that you are doing well! After watching the news, I got a little nervous."

"Well, thank you." She smiled – "At least I'm alive."

"Yes, I see. Doctor Harrington from the Zootopia-Plainsboro-Hospital already sent me your medical file. Quite a few bruises and slashes, a cerebral concussion, perforated lungs and two broken ribs.", she studied the report from the clinic and nodded a few times. "Well, I would like to examine you when you are already here." Doctor Alisson pointed to the treatment couch. "Do you want your husband to leave, or…?"

"No, Nick can stay with me, if that's okay with you." Judy smiled lightly and got off the chair.

"Of course! Okay, then please undress your shirt first and take place on the couch."

Judy slowly unbuttoned her shirt, took it off and laid it folded onto her chair, then sat on the treatment couch, her arms crossed before her chest. Doctor Alisson took a close look at all stitched wounds. "Do you have any more on your lower back or legs?" she finally asked and when Judy nodded: "I would like to see those, too. Could you undo your pants and stand here?"

"Sure…" Judy opened her trousers and pulled them down to her ankles, then standing upright again, facing the wall.

Doctor Alisson squatted behind her and examined the other wounds. "Okay, you can pull up your pants again and sit down on the treatment couch." – after Judy did as she was told, Doctor Alisson sounded her front and back with a stethoscope, listening for suspicious pulmonary noises. "I know it does hurt somewhat, but can you take a deep breath please?"

Judy's face was twisted with pain when she took a few deep breathes, but didn't complain.

"That's enough, thank you!" the old rabbit put away the stethoscope and started to carefully palpate Judy's chest. When she noticed that her patient was in pain, she stopped immediately and apologized. "Okay, you can dress again, Misses Hopps-Wilde. Do you take the prescribed pills?"

"Only when it's really painful. I took one this morning." Judy answered while Nick helped her with the shirt, then she sat on her chair beside him again.

"You can take up to four of them each day. There is no need for you to bear the pain. Your chest will hurt for another three to four weeks. And it will take up to three months until your ribs are healed completely."

"But I don't have to be certified unfit for work for the whole time?" Judy asked a little bit anxious.

The doctor smiled: "You are my first patient who wants to work earlier than necessary. Well, as long as you have still pains, you have to stay at home. No work or sport allowed, but going for a walk is okay as long as you don't overdo it. After that you are only allowed to do office duty for at least one more month. And after that we will see…" she winked.

"Okay…" Judy sighed.

"Good! I also have a note from my assistant that you two want to talk about getting children?" – when Judy nodded sheepishly, Doctor Alisson smiled comforting. "Don't worry, that is nothing to be ashamed of. I have a lot of couples that cannot get pregnant in a natural way." She browsed through Judy's medical file – "As I have noted here, we had already an initial talk about your choices. I think that we should try it with in vitro fertilization. You are both still young and even when you are different species there is a good chance to have healthy biological kits if it works."

"But there is no guarantee, right?" Judy asked quietly – "I mean, that it works…" she fumbled for Nick's paw and the fox hold her, stroking it's back with his thumb.

"The technique has its limits, and there are a few risks, yes." Doctor Alisson leaned back in her chair. "First of all, we cannot fertilize an egg with completely incompatible genetic material. What we do is inject the male spermatozoon directly into the female ovum. There is normally a natural protective covering around the ovum, preventing that the first sperm that comes along is fertilizing the egg. There is some kind of selection to find the perfect match with a 15-20 percent chance during normal intercourse. But that's only valid for couples of the same species. This natural biological sphere is normally preventing a match for genetic material by different species, as they are never recognized as a 'perfect match'. We circumvent this bio-chemical screening with the in vitro fertilization. The chances for success are therefore explicit higher, around 30-40 percent."

"But doesn't that result in a higher risk of disabilities? I guess there is a reason that the egg is … choosing the right sperm?" Nick asked somewhat doubtful.

"There is a very small chance, yes. But we are taking a lot of precautions, like a genome analysis, medical tests beforehand on both parents and a carefully secured preparation of both the ovum and the sperm."

"You said that there is a 30 percent chance for success with this method?" Judy asked.

"That is with parents of the same species that could not get pregnant in a natural way for quite a while. With genetic material of different species, it's somewhat lower, depending on the individual compatibility. And there are quite a few pairings of species that we are currently not able to couple, too. But I can assure you, that this is not the case with rabbits and foxes. Maybe it's not yet commonplace, but I did some research and we have a few documented cases where the in vitro fertilization did work and resulted in perfectly healthy kits. I would give it a 10 percent chance of success." She smiled encouraging.

"10 percent…" Judy repeated thoughtfully.

"More or less, yes." Doctor Alisson nodded.

"Is there a risk for the mother? I mean…", Nick rubbed his neck embarrassed, "…let alone the difference in size?"

Doctor Alisson grinned at him, then shook her head. "I can assure you, that this is not a problem. Of course there are a few risks, but there are with every pregnancy. The babies only get claws and teeth after birth and cannot hurt the mother from the inside, even with mixed species. And the size of them depends on the available space in the maternal body and size of the litter. It's not like in those old science fiction movies where a prey, pregnant from a predator, will be slashed from the inside." She winked and Nick smiled awry. – "Don't worry, Mister Hopps-Wilde. You are neither the first who asked me this nor will you be the last one. It's an old myth and rather popular. It was even one of the biggest fears in the last century and one reason why mixed predator-prey-couples were a taboo."

"What is the exact process?" Judy asked.

The older rabbit turned around and took a brochure from the shelf. She browsed through it and laid it in front of Judy and Nick with a chart and a checklist.

"After a generic medical test of the two of you we create a spermiogram: Based on amount, agility, shape and possible infections of your ( _looking to Nick_ ) sperm cells we can recognize if and to which extend you are fertile. Then we administer a medication to you ( _looking to Judy_ ) to block the natural activity of your ovaries. You get hormones on a daily basis to let several ova maturate in parallel. This takes about two weeks after which we prepare them with other hormones for the ovulation to make them fertile. With a cannulate we are then extracting ten to thirteen ova and put them into a nutrient solution. Now we selectively prepare the spermatozoa and bring them together with the ova in vitro. We take up to six fertilized ovules before they can segment. They continue to mature for about three days until the embryos consist of eight cells. At this point we introduce them back into your uterus and have to wait if they finally nest."

Judy and Nick tried to follow the explanations and when Doctor Alisson was finished they staid quiet for a while, studying the brochure and chart in front of them.

"You talked about up to six ovules." Judy said eventually – "Does that mean, there will be six kits?"

"No, not necessary. As there is only a ten percent chance for the fertilized egg to finally nest in the uterus, not all of the introduced embryos will mature. In fact, we take six of them to have a better chance of at least one nesting. If it fails with all of them, we let another set of six ovules fertilize and repeat the procedure. It can be necessary to try it several times until one embryo is nested – but it's also possible that several of them will nest in the first try. This is what I meant with the limitations..."

"So it's also possible, that it's not working at all." Judy said quietly.

"I never thought of you as a glass-half-empty-bunny." Doctor Alisson smiled encouraging. "As I already said, you are both young and healthy and I think there is a realistic chance for you to have biological kits together. You just have to be patient."

Judy turned her head to Nick with a questioning look. The fox smiled softly, then said:

"It's your body, Judy, and ultimately your decision. If you want to reconsider or talk with Evelin or someone else about it first, you should do it. The only thing I promise you is, that I will support you as much as I can, regardless how you will decide." He gave her a small kiss.

"Try everything…" Judy smiled lovingly – "As long as we are together we can handle everything, right?"

"Absolutely!" Nick said and they shared another kiss, holding each other's paws.

Doctor Alisson nodded with a happy smile. "I dearly wish you both good luck! As for the timeframe…" she checked Judy's medical file again – "…we should not start with the essence procedure while you are still having pains and taking those pills. Your body is still stressed enough from the injuries."

Judy nodded, "I understand."

"Well, but we could already start with the generic medical tests and also make the spermiogram. Then we can start with the hormone therapy in maybe four or five weeks." Doctor Alisson browsed through a few pages with laboratory test results, then starting to frown.

"Is… something wrong?" Judy asked nervously.

"I just saw that there were made a few hormone and blood tests during your stay at the hospital. Did you get any treatment for this?"

"Not as far as I know." Judy said a bit uneasy – "Doctor Harrington said you could better interpret them regarding my common physiology." Judy waited for the old rabbit studying the test results carefully.

"Anything worrying, doctor?" Nick asked somewhat alarmed.

"Not necessary. There are a few uncommon hormonal fluctuations. When was the last time you were in heat?" Doctor Alisson asked the rabbit.

"The last wave started on the day of our wedding…" Judy counted the days in her head. "Thirteen days ago, and it lasted three or four days… as usual."

"So you are due sometime next week, correct?"

Judy nodded and the Doctor put the papers aside. "Your hemogram also shows some low values for some vitamins. Nothing to worry about at the moment, but I want to make some further tests." She called her assistant over the intercom, then turned back to Judy. "I need to take another blood sample from you and also a urine sample… if that's possible?"

Judy pressed Nick's paw nervously but nodded slowly. When the snow rabbit knocked and entered the room, Doctor Alisson ordered her to get a needle and a few specific laboratory test tubes as well as a urine sampling cup.

"Okay, would you please roll up your left sleeves…" the rabbit said to Judy and started to search her arm for a vein. When the assistant returned, she started to disinfect the arm, punctured a clearly visible vein and filled five test tubes with blood. After finishing, she pressed a small pad onto Judy's arm. "Just hold that for a few minutes until it stopped bleeding." Doctor Alisson put the urine sampling cup on her desk. "Afterwards you can go to the restroom… we will call you when we have your results. And my assistant is arranging an appointment for your medical tests and the spermiogram in the upcoming week, Mister Hopps-Wilde."

"Thank you… can we take this brochure with us?" Judy asked, pointing to the brochure with information about the in vitro fertilization.

"Yes, of course. And if you still have any questions, you can call us anytime and make another consulting appointment." Doctor Alisson smiled and shook hands with both Judy and Nick, then left them alone in the room.

Judy didn't say anything but hold the pad, watching it. When Nick stroked carefully with his paw over her cheek, she sniveled quietly.

"Hey… carrots… what's the matter?" he got off his chair and squatted in front of her.

"Who knows? Additional medical tests are never a positive sign, are they?" she shrugged, and when Nick pulled her face towards his' with his paw, she looked sadly at him. "Something is wrong; I can sense it…"

"You are going overboard with those extra tests, Judy. You were blown up by a car bomb only three days ago. It's natural that your body is still stressed and needs some rest."

"Do you think so?"

"Definitely." He smiled and gave her a sweet little kiss. "Let me take a quick look at your arm…" Nick lifted the pad carefully but no blood was visible. He feigned a pouting: "Aww… no more bleeding for me to taste."

"Dumb fox!" she punched him against the shoulder but eventually smiled again.

He snickered and straightened up again. "While you are at the restroom, I will make an appointment for my own tests. We will meet at the reception, okay?"

Judy got off her chair, took the sampling cup and gave him a quick kiss. "Okay, foxtrot."

* * *

"Aww, got a phone again, sis?" Evelin smiled when Judy called her in the evening via muzzletime.

"Yep, a gift from Nick. It's even the brand new pawphone with a carrot-colored aluminum shell – and it's waterproof!" Judy sat on her bed alone, leaning against the back wall, and grinned from ear to ear.

"Wow, maybe I should let someone blow me up, too!" Eve snickered – "So the next time you are calling you are showering?" she winked.

"I thought of something less compromising, like photos while in the swimming pool." Judy giggled.

"At the Mystic Springs Oasis?"

"Eve!" Judy looked shocked. "What's the matter with all of you today?"

"Why? Did _somebody_ else suggest some juicier photos, too?" Evelin laughed amused about her sister being a little bit prude.

"Nah, not really…" Judy outstretched her tongue.

"Not _really_?! Spill!" Evelin asked curiously and Judy told her about their encounter with her two former neighbors in the city park. "Wait…" Eve furrowed one brow – "Aren't those two not a married couple?"

"I think so?"

"So they are queer as a football bat?"

"Yeah? So what?"

"Maybe they were more interested in your fluffy foxy than in you, thought about it?" Evelin snickered when Judy replied her look dumbfounded. "Oh, you are really some completely innocent, cute little bunny!" she laughed.

"I'm not!" Judy pouted.

"You are!"

"I'm not!"

"You are!"

"I'm… gosh, we are acting like Pronk and Bucky already!" Judy giggled.

"I don't think so, there would be more hot and steamy sex involved otherwise…" Evelin licked lasciviously over her lips.

"E-Eve!" Judy stammered.

"I already spent a night with your foxy in your bed, just let me know if you want to join up with us the next time." She winked naughty and eventually burst into laughter when her sis couldn't even answer anymore and had put her paw over the mouth wide-eyed.

"You should replace your phone, sis. Your camera records way too many red hues." Evelin suggested after calming down a bit, still giggling. "Speaking of sexual intercourse… how was your medical appointment?"

"Believe me, the whole procedure has nothing to do with sex or romance…" Judy rolled her eyes and began to explain what Doctor Alisson had told them about the mixed-species-reproduction and in vitro fertilization.

After she had finished, Evelin thought about it for a minute. "Sounds like a rather time-consuming and stressful procedure. I would have guessed that there is a better chance of success, but even only about 30 percent with same-species-couples?" – Judy just nodded slowly – "Hey, sis! Never say die. They all told you it would be impossible for a rabbit to be a cop, but you made it. There were doubters that didn't believe in a rabbit-fox-relationship that lasts, but you are even married by now. And finally a car bomb that couldn't be disarmed and should have killed you, but here you are!" Evelin smiled encouraging.

"Maybe, but this time it's different. We are talking about biology and our different physiology, that's nothing one can put away with hard work for example." Judy looked somewhat dispirited.

Evelin looked thoughtfully: "I remember some video where someone was talking about the fact, that animals have evolved over time and anyone can be anything." She winked and Judy smiled lightly – "I guess, that's also true for a bunny getting kits with a fox – especially when we are talking about you little overachiever."

"Thanks, maybe you are right and I'm just too pessimistic because of those additional tests Doctor Alisson made." Judy sighed with a smile.

"Additional tests?" Evelin frowned and Judy told her contrite about the yet non-specific blood and hormone tests results. "That doesn't has to mean anything, Juju." Eve reassured her when she had finished.

"I know." Judy sighed. "But I did a bit of research on the internet and there are quite a few autoimmune diseases. It could even be cancer, or…"

"Stop it!" Evelin said vigorously – "You could enter the symptoms of a simple cold into the internet and it would diagnose you with cancer! Don't be ridiculous, Juju!"

Judy started to look even more uneasy – "I… didn't told you something else… actually I didn't tell it anybody until now." – Evelin looked curious but just waited for her sister to continue – "I wasn't feeling all too well even before the assault… getting dizzy a few times, vomited even after eating near to nothing, fatigue, …"

"Sounds like pregnancy…" Evelin muttered, thinking about her own little problems, then somewhat angry: "Why didn't you tell anyone?!"

"Because I was scared!" Judy sniveled – "And then I thought when I was in hospital, that the doctors would just find something if I'm really ill; and when they didn't I was relieved and persuaded myself that it was nothing, maybe just a cold. But now there are those additional tests…"

"Oh, Juju…" Evelin sighed and looked sympathetic. "You should never have tried to cope with all of this alone. You have an affectionate husband, a loving best friend – that's me by the way – and a caring family that will support and help you to face out everything."

"I know." Judy smiled softly. "But I didn't want to bother you…"

"For crying out loud! Leave us free to decide that by ourselves, okay? Maybe we want to be bothered!" Eve smiled.

"Okay, next time…" the rabbit-cop sighed.

"Promised?"

"Scouts honor." Judy put two fingers in the air and smiled.

* * *

On Sunday, Nick and Judy spent most of the day together at home. Now that Judy had a new phone she was overwhelmed with old texts and voice messages of the last few days; at first she started to read them all and even listen to the messages. But she got just too emotional with the more and more anxious ones and they eventually deleted the remaining messages unread. The rest of the day they spend relaxing on the couch, listening to some music or talking about the pros and cons of the in vitro fertilization. Judy had already decided to give it a shot, and Nick was more than happy with the decision, but the rabbit was still somewhat uneasy about the risks and relatively small chances of success. In the afternoon, Martha Wilde made a surprise visit and brought some home-made marble cake with her. When the couple told Nick's mother about their decision to have own children, Martha was overwhelmed with joy and nearly crushed them with hugs – at least Nick, being more carefully with Judy and her injuries. It was already evening when the vixen left again and after watching some TV, both officers decided to go to bed early – Nick had his appointment with the Health Counselor of the ZPD the next day on Monday at 11 o'clock.

The next morning, they were sitting together at the breakfast table at half past eight. Nick had not slept too well this night again and laid awake beside Judy most of it, gazing at the ceiling or watching Judy sleeping.

"You are rather quiet today, foxtrot." Judy took a sip from her hot chocolate while watching Nick nibbling on the same slice of toast for nearly ten minutes.

Nick smiled slightly, putting down the toast and pouring his third cup of coffee. "Just a bit tired, carrots."

"Did you had nightmares again?"

Nick shook slowly his head. "You cannot have nightmares if you cannot fall asleep in the first place."

"You also cannot stay awake until you collapse from fatigue." Judy looked a bit worried.

"I know, carrots." He took a sip from the still steaming coffee and grimaced. "But it's not only the nightmares, I'm worried about you."

"I knew it… I should not have told you about those old symptoms." Judy sighed.

"That's not an option, Judy. You can always talk with me about everything!"

"I know that…" she smiled softly and put her paw on his'.

"Just don't try to cope with everything on your own, okay? United we stand, united we fall."

"Bad paws forever?" Judy winked.

"Hey, that was a great movie!" Nick snickered. "But seriously, I really mean it…"

"Okay, no more secrecies, foxtrot." She got off her chair and hugged Nick, giving him a lovingly kiss.

They both finished their breakfast and decided to go together to the precinct by foot; it was about a half-an-hour walk and Judy sat into a small café – she didn't want to meet all her colleagues just yet after the funeral – while Nick entered the police building at quarter to eleven. The Medical Health Counselor had his office on the second floor and after taking a deep breath the fox knocked on the door.

"Come in!" someone said behind the door and Nick entered the small office. It had a few plants in it, a desk with two chairs, two small sofas and some bookshelves. Also the windows were directing the main plaza in front of the building with a glorious view. Behind the desk sat a female, black panther who was working on her PC. When Nick entered the room, she raised her head and smiled friendly.

"Officer Wilde! Or do you prefer Officer Hopps-Wilde now?" she walked around her desk and shook his hand.

"On duty it's easier to go with Officer Wilde, Ma'am."

"Please, call me Samantha; or Doctor Carter if you prefer it more official. But this is neither an interrogation nor are you accused of something. We are just talking here together as openly as possible. Please, take a seat…"

"And you are writing a report about it for Chief Bogo. Or do you call that already paranoid, Doctor Carter?" Nick winked and sat down on one of the two sofas, the counselor taking place towards him on the other one and smiled.

"Yes, I'm writing a generic report about our talk, sometimes with a recommendation. But what we are talking about is confidential nevertheless and no one outside of this room is going to hear it."

"Well, I love my job, I'm trusting my partner and I don't have an urge to go on the rampage because of what happened to Officer Reed."

"You were accused of being responsible for his dead and suspended for several days?"

"There was an investigation by the internal affairs department, yes."

"Didn't you think that it applied to you?"

"What do you want to hear? Yeah, I was blamed for accidentally killing one colleague and nearly even a second one…"

"Your own partner, Officer Judy Hopps, survived the assault only by a narrow margin."

"She was in hospital for several days and will be on sick leave for at least another month, yes."

"Well, she is not only your partner on the force, right? You two are having also a romantic relationship for nearly eight months and married just a few weeks ago."

Nick was starting to get impatient. "We never made our relationship a secret and talked with Chief Bogo about it – he said that he has no problem with it as long as we are still trusting each other on duty and keep professional at work."

"Talking about keeping professional… Chief Bogo had to keep you from entering a danger zone because you wanted to reach Officer Hopps in her car."

"I just wanted to be with her and support her!" Nick crossed his arms in front of his body.

"Disregarding all ZPD regulations."

"I couldn't think straight back then! My partner was sitting on a bomb and all that I could think of was to save her somehow!"

"You thought you would be better at this than the specialized bomb squad that was already working on-site? Despite he knew the blueprints and that the bomb was nearly impossible to disarm, Officer Reed was risking his life to save your partner, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"And neither Officer Reed nor the executive detective of the case, Officer Fangmeyer, cancelled the rescue operation; even when there was only a 50 percent chance to still disarm the charge. Even when there were only seconds left and Officer Reed knew there would be not enough time for him to leave the danger area timely. Still you intervened without being an official part of the bomb squad and gave Officer Reed orders on the microphone."

"Yes! But…"

"You even disobeyed the judgement of the department chief of the criminal behavior unit, Officer Marki, who agreed with Officer Fangmeyer to follow Adrian Bale's support."

"Damn it! It wasn't my fault that the bomb exploded! I penetrated Bale's mind and tried to prevent the explosion! There was no time left to explain my conclusions or to obey all those rules!" Nick nearly shouted, maybe also because the black panther was still completely calm.

"Ah… you made an impromptu psychological profile based on a ten years old interrogation report you had read a while ago, objected to two skilled superiors and risked the life of two ZPD officers…"

"I saved J… Officer Hopps with my intervention! I swear to god I wish I could have saved Officer Reeds life, too, but I couldn't!"

"You let him die and rescued your partner instead…"

"It was not my decision to sacrifice his life for her! I thought I could rescue them both and I would have switched places with Officer Reed anytime to achieve this!"

"You believe it was your job to save your partner, not his'."

"Yes!"

"That you should have been killed that day, not Officer Reed, an old friend of your friend Larry Fangmeyer…"

"Yes! I..." – Nick's already shakily voice was cracking, being on the verge of tearing up. He put his paw over his snout and looked away. "…oh my."

Doctor Carter smiled and her voice was still calm when she spoke again after a while: "You suffered a very traumatic experience, Mister Wilde. You blame yourself for Officer Reeds dead because he saved the one person who is meaning everything for you – it's called the guilt of the survivors."

"I'm Judy's partner, I should have saved her. He could still be alive if I…" Nick muttered quietly but stopped eventually.

"If you what… would have cut the wire yourself?" – the panther was leaning forward – "You were the only one who had the idea to involve Bale into the disarming. It was your knowledge and fast perception that enabled you to unmask his lie, nobody else had those interrogation reports memorized or noticed his lust for blood. You had the courage to talk against your superiors. Despite being under heavy pressure in this extreme situation, you remained level-headed – and succeeded. You saved not only your partner but also Officer Reed. The ignition of the charge was disarmed, only thanks to you. There was nothing more you could have done. It was Wooly Ramses who killed Officer Reed. And Reed always knew the risk. He did his job, and he loved it as much as you said you're loving it. You should be proud of him – and you should be proud of yourself, too. You saved your partners live when you gave her enough time to leave the car. And Officer Reed saved her live, too, by shielding most of the shock wave and flying debris of the explosion from her. Don't reduce his achievement by feeling guilty for it, Officer Wilde."

The fox breathed deeply and sat quietly on the couch. After a while he seemed to be much calmer and finally said: "Maybe you could call me just Nick…"

The counselor smiled friendly and handed him her paw: "Hi, Nick. I'm Samantha."

* * *

"Nick! Nihiiick!" Clawhauser was shouting and waved for him when the fox was walking across the foyer. He had a lot to think about after his talk with Doctor Samantha Carter, but Chief Bogo asked him to stop by at his office, too. Walking to the counter he greeted the cheetah with a slight smile.

"Hey, Ben."

"Oh, Nick! Good to see you again! How are you? Is Judy doing well?"

"I'm fine and Judy is on sick leave for a few weeks to heal up her broken ribs. But she is okay, too."

"That really was a shock when I heard the radio messages!"

"Yeah… well, the Chief wanted to talk with me… can you give him a call that I'm here?"

"Of course, just a second…" – and while talking on the intercom: "Chief Bogo? Officer Nicholas Wilde is here for you."

The voice of the cape buffalo sounded tinny through the speaker: "I need a few more minutes, he can wait in the foyer."

"You heard it yourself, Nick." Clawhauser smiled, but Nick just nodded slightly. "Is everything alright?"

"I had an appointment with our Health Counselor today."

"Oh… right, that's mandatory for you as you were on-site when…" Benjamin hesitated eventually, and Nick just nodded.

"Yeah… well, I'm getting a glass of water from the coffee kitchen… see you later, Ben."

"Bye, and greetings to Judy!" Clawhauser cheered and waved good-bye to him.

While drinking the cold water, Nick's phone signaled a new message from Judy:

 _Judy: "Got a call from Doctor Alisson's office. They have my test results. :-o"_

 _Nick: "What did they say?!"_

 _Judy: "They were not allowed to say anything on the phone. :((("_

 _Judy: "I should come into the office even today if possible. I'm scared! :'("_

Nick could feel a lump in his throat.

 _Nick: "Waiting for Bogo atm :/"_

 _Nick: "I try to hurry & we go to the doctor's office together, k?"_

 _Judy: "K"_

 _Nick: "Stay calm, I'm thinking of you! 3 :-*"_

 _Judy: "Will try. Love U! 3"_

 _Nick: "Love U2! 3"_

Nick started to pace nervously in the foyer, wishing Bogo could just postpone their talk for a day or two; his place was currently at Judy's side. Impatiently he ran up the stairs to the second floor where Bogo's office was, but his door was still closed. Maybe he should just knock?

"Wilde…" the Chief's voice came from behind Nick, obviously he wasn't in his office. Nick quickly turned around and saluted.

"Chief!"

Bogo walked past him and made a gesture with his hoof. "Follow me – and close the door behind you."

Nick followed Bogo into his office, closed the door and waited for the Chief to offer him a seat. After sitting down, the cape buffalo leaned back in his chair.

"I suggest we can skip the part where I ask you how you are doing, and you answering with your common 'fine'." Chief Bogo began and Nick just nodded.

"I got the sick note from Officer Hopps' doctor, she will be absent for at least four weeks. Please present her my best wishes for her recovery."

"Of course, thank you, sir."

"That brings us to another topic. I just had a talk with Doctor Carter. An official report of your talk is still pending, but I got her first impression and recommendation under reserve."

"Sir?"

"She takes the view, that you are currently not recommended for field work, and you should meet again twice a week for initially four more sessions to talk about the past events. As you are currently without your partner anyway, you are on office duty until she gives you a clearance for regular service again."

"But, Chief…!"

"That is not a punishment, Wilde. But I need all my officers to be up the mark, physically and psychically! Just take it slow…"

Nick nodded with a sigh. "Yes, Sir."

"By the way, Detective Fangmeyer officially proposed you for a commendation, and I'm supporting his request. You really did some outstanding work under heavy pressure and difficult conditions. Be prepared for the mayor's office to get in contact with you."

"T-thank you…" Nick was flabbergasted and didn't know what to say.

"Detective Marki was impressed by your work, too. He asked me to borrow you to his criminal behavior department for a few weeks to give you more practical work experience. I told him that I will talk with you about it, but as long as you are on office duty anyway I would recommend this as a new experience. I expect your decision until the end of this week."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you."

"Speaking of this week… you should still have quite some overtime. I would suggest you take a few more free days until returning to work. I guess your partner could need your support now. Just give me your answer regarding Detective Marki until Friday and take the rest of the week off. After I got the final report from Doctor Carter, she will get in touch with you to arrange your next appointments with her. Anymore questions?"

"Yes, regarding Adrian Bale. I read an article in the newspaper that he killed himself in prison? Does anybody know why?"

"His suicide is the official story for the press. Bale was actually murdered in his cell."

"What?! But how? And by whom?"

"Forensics are still investigating, but according to a preliminary report of the coroner, he was strangled and after that his sheets were used as an improvised rope to give the impression of a suicide. Bale was still in solitary confinement and there was a beat by the corrections officers every hour, so we can narrow the attack between 16:20 and 17:10 o'clock. We checked the CCTV footage, but it is jammed for a timeframe of 20 minutes." Bogo leaned forward with a serious look. "You are not investigating in this case, Wilde! You hear?"

"Yes, Sir."

Bogo got off his chair and handed Nick his hoof. "Then I wish you a restful week and repeat my greetings and best wishes for Judy." – did he even smile a bit?

Nick shook the buffalos hoof. "Thank you, Chief!"

* * *

After leaving the precinct, Nick walked to the small café where Judy was waiting for him. She waved when he entered the shop and the fox sat beside her on a small bench.

"Hey, carrots…" he gave her a nice little kiss and hugged her carefully. Then he turned his head and sniffed on the cup in front of her. "You're drinking coffee? That's rather uncommon for you."

"Yea, I know." She sighed – "The hot chocolate was simply too sweet and I couldn't decide on a type of tea. So I just ordered a coffee, but it's not my linking either. If you want to drink it…?" she suggested and smiled slightly.

"You are really scared about those tests, mh?" – Nick took a sip of the coffee and put his other paw around her shoulders. "Shall we get a Zuber taxi to Doctor Alisson's office? Walking would take us at least half an hour and you already had to wait long enough for me."

Judy thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm way too nervous right now and feeling like being brought to the slaughter. Walking there will calm me eventually somewhat." She smiled a bit – "Also you can tell me what Chief Bogo wanted. Are you on duty again?"

"Not really and not yet..." – Nick got off the bench, as did Judy, and they left the café again. "But I should greet you from him and tell you to get well soon. Oh, and greetings from Benjamin of course, too!"

While they started to walk along the pavement with linked arms, Judy turned her head to Nick: "What do you mean with 'not really' and 'not yet'?"

"I should take off the rest of the week, and starting next week I'm on office duty."

"What? But why? I mean, staying with me at home for the rest of the week is great! But why are you on office duty? I thought those investigations against you were stopped!"

"Yea, they are. But … I got no clearance by Doctor Carter, our Health Counselor." Nick sighed.

Judy raised her eyebrows. "What happened?" – Nick didn't answer and the rabbit had to nudge him with her elbow. "Hey… what happened, foxtrot?"

Nick rubbed his neck, "We talked about what happened … and maybe I said a few things in the heat of the moment that… alarmed her." – when Judy still looked questioning, he quietly started to tell her, what he had talked about with Doctor Carter.

When he finished, Judy stopped and took him by his both paws, looking him into his eyes. "Do you really believe that _you_ should have been killed that day, instead of Officer Reed?"

"No… I mean, not _really_ … it's not like I have a death wish!"

Judy sighed sadly and hugged him gently. "I hope so, because I don't know what I would do without you, Nick. You really have to stop feeling guilty for what happened. Doctor Carter is right: It was not your fault!"

"Yea… maybe… but don't worry; I'm not gonna leave you anytime soon, Judy." He smiled and gave her a kiss between the ears. They stand there for a few minutes, hugging each other, until Nick said eventually: "Should we move along? We are nearly at the medical office."

"I know, but I don't wanna let you go right now." Judy sounded worried and Nick squatted in front of her to look her into the eyes same-leveled.

"Still scared of those results?" he put his paw on her cheek and stroke it softly.

"Uh-hu." Judy nodded slowly with hanging ears.

Nick kissed her gently and smiled encouraging. "Whatever it is, we will handle it together."

The rabbit sighed and after a few more seconds they finally continued their walk. When entering Doctor Alisson's office, they had to sit down in the waiting room for a while because they had no appointment. Judy sat on Nick's lap, leaning with her head against his shoulder, while the fox was crawling her arm to calm them both; he could feel how his bunny was trembling slightly.

"Misses and Mister Hopps-Wilde? Examination room two, please…" the same snow rabbit as Saturday called and directed them into a different office as the last time. There were a few more medical devices and it seemed like more an examination room than a consulting office. They sat down each on a chair, and impatiently waited for Doctor Alisson; but it took another ten minutes until the older rabbit entered the room, too.

"Misses and Mister Hopps-Wilde, nice to see you again! Sorry that I kept you waiting, today is quite a busy day." she shook both their paws and sat down behind the desk. "How can I help you?"

Judy fumbled nervously with her paws on the edge of her desk. "I got a phone call from your assistant that my test results are back…"

"Ah, right, of course! Okay, just a moment, I have to take a look…" – the doctor logged in on her computer and entered Judy's name into a search mask. After opening her medical file, she started to read for a while, then turned around to their both patients who were looking at her like a timid fawn. "How are you feeling, Misses Hopps-Wilde?"

"F-fine…?"

"How is your chest pain?"

"It's bearable…" Judy said quietly.

Nick stammered and hold tight on Judy's paw, "Is… is something wrong?"

"Well, we will have to change your medication; and should reconsider the in vitro …"

"What?! But why?" Judy interrupted her shocked.

"As I just wanted to say…" the older rabbit smiled softly – "The tests revealed a rather uncommon complication…"

Doctor Alisson got off her chair and handed Judy her paw.

"Congratulations, Misses Hopps-Wilde, you're pregnant!"

( _YouTube: "J5P2-9YY7qU"_ )

Judy was shaking Doctor Alisson's paw without realizing it, starring at her stunned, and with a slightly open mouth. Nick was taken aback, too, being hit between the eyes by the news.

"I guess, that came as a surprise…" the doctor chuckled somewhat and sat down again. "The first hormone test in the hospital was inconclusive because it was still too early and too generic, but together with your specific vitamin deficiency it was a possible indication for a pregnancy. I didn't want to raise false hopes during your last appointment, you already had enough traumatic events last week; and it also could have been just a result of your injuries or an inadequate nutrition."

"It's…not? I mean… you're sure?" Judy could hardly speak; her mouth was feeling dry as a desert.

"If you agree, we make an ultrasonography right now to be sure. But I was specifically searching for indicators with your second tests. The results are unambiguous, even when it's a small miracle that you got pregnant with a natural conception. You said, you had your last heat cycle on the day of your wedding two weeks ago? That would perfectly match." She winked.

"Your scent…" Nick was still stunned and could only speak hesitantly. "It was slightly different for a few days. I just assumed… I…" he couldn't say anything else because Judy leaped from her chair onto his lap and throw her arms around his neck, starting to laugh happily. When Nick's emotional stupor finally released, he joined in her laughing and kissed her affectionately.

Doctor Alisson seemed to be amazed: "You can really smell the hormone difference in her scent during a pregnancy? Your olfaction is really impressive!" she smiled and waited for the couple to calm down again.

Judy sat down on her own chair after a few minutes, weeping for joy. Nick also had some tears of joy in the corner of his eyes and could hardly stop grinning. Doctor Alisson handed them both some tissues: "I don't expect any intricacies due to your broken ribs. But I will prescribe you some other painkillers that are well-tolerated, as well as some combined vitamin products to compensate your current deficiency. I would also like to admit you into our pregnancy-preparations-program that includes regular prematernity medical care as well as preparatory talks and courses."

"Yes… of course…" Judy agreed, still grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Okay, you will have to sign a form at the reception and my assistant will also hand you a few brochures with further details and tips." Doctor Alison got off her chair and gestures toward the treatment couch, switching on a small computer on a mobile stand that had a trackball and two ultrasonic probes. "If you would undress your shirt and lay down right here, please…"

Judy unbuttoned her shirt with shaking paws and gave it to Nick, nervously laying down on the couch. The older rabbit took a special ultrasonic gel for fur-covered mammals out of a cupboard and put on some latex gloves. She dispensed some gel on Judy's belly until her fur was soaked with it, then entering some variables into the mobile ultrasound unit and taking one of the probes. While watching the monitor closely, she moved the probe over Judy's belly. It took her a while, and Judy was holding Nick's paw nervously smiling; but eventually Doctor Alisson started to smile brightly and turned the monitor to the excited couple.

"Congratulations, you are becoming parents of two kits!", the doctor said while marking two small beating hearts, that were merely some moving points on the monitor, with her trackball. Judy bite on her free paw and started to sob with a wide smile; Nick hold her other paw firmly in his' and gave his cute bunny a kiss on her forehead, smiling himself from ear to ear.

Doctor Alisson removed the ultrasonic probe again and handed Judy a wet washcloth and a towel. Nick took them both and cleaned the fur of his exuberantly happy bunny, while the older rabbit was entering some more data into the small computer that were printed afterwards onto a picture of the ultrasound for the medical file: Judy's full name, todays date and time, species of the mother and of the father, and the current progress ( _week 2 of 8 in total_ ). She printed a second copy of the image and put it into an envelope, handing it Judy who had just buttoned her shirt again.

"I'm so happy for you two!" the female doctor said smiling, sitting down behind her desk again. "Do you have any immediate questions?" – both Nick and Judy shook their heads, and Doctor Alisson nodded. "Then I would suggest that we meet again next week, you can make an appointment with my assistant." She shook first Judy's then Nick's paw and escorted them to the front-desk. "Nadja, would you make a form ready for our pregnancy-preparations-program and let Misses Hopps-Wilde sign it. And gave them the brochures about rabbit pregnancies, mixed-species couples and the one with common tips during a pregnancy. We also need a new appointment for the beginning of next week."

The snow rabbit smiled happily to the couple: "Congratulations, you two! Just a moment, please…"

Doctor Alisson waved them good-bye and while waiting for the assistant Nadja to finish their papers, Judy took out the envelope with the ultrasound picture. Her paws were still shaking and Nick had to help her to make a photo of it…

* * *

Evelin and Sven were having dinner together with the Hopps' family in the main kitchen – nearly 90 rabbits eating some mixed salad and sandwiches in one room and exchanging the newest rumors and news about the rural life in Bunnyburrow, resulting in quite some noise level. When Evelin's smartphone signaled an incoming message from Judy ( _the first five chimes of 'Try Everything' by Gazelle_ ) she was still giggling about a story Valentia had told. She opened the message and a mostly black image filled her screen; after watching it curiously for a few seconds in silence, she suddenly jumped off her chair and set up a cry with such a high pitched voice, that most of the other rabbits winced terrified, starring at Eve who was madly giggling and fidgeting.


	25. 3x04 - Peanuts

_"In a relationship the details are everything because they remind you – just when you need to be reminded the most – why you fell in love with someone in the first place." ― Mike Gayle_

* * *

The pharmacist was entering the details of the prescription Nick gave him into his computer while Judy was sitting in a small waiting corner. Her phone hadn't stopped ringing since she sent the ultrasound picture to Evelin and her parents, apparently all of her family were already informed and now wanted to congratulate. As touching as most of the calls and messages were, there were also some surprised ones. Well, Judy didn't hold it against them – an hour earlier she feared that she wouldn't experience another spring, and now she would be changing her own kits by then. She ended just another call, when Nick approached her with a smile and a small paper package.

"I guess you are the most current news in whole Bunnyburrow by now?"

"I fear my parents are organizing a parade right now." Judy laughed with a wide grin.

"After being the first rabbit becoming a police officer and being the first rabbit marrying a fox, I would have bet you already got your own statue and holiday in the meantime." Nick winked, "But a rabbit getting pregnant seems not so extraordinary to me. Or are you rated as such a lost cause?"

Judy punched him on his shoulder and grinned.

"Let's see if you are still so cheeky when my parents figure out that you got her daughter preggers in their own burrow. You know, we are not only good in multiplying but in math generally."

"It may be a long time ago, but I bet they once had a wedding night, too." Nick snickered and gave her a quick kiss between the ears.

"And what about the night before the wedding, and after the wedding, and the day after that, and…"

"If you are trying to embarrass me, it's not working, carrots." Nick squatted in front of her. "Don't get me wrong, but I love you to bits." He grinned with his fangs visible, making Judy's hackles raise. When her phone rang again, Judy nearly dropped it nervously.

"H-Hey, Clara! Yeah, thank you, sis! … Two kits! … Of course is Nick the father!" she giggled and after linking her arm with Nick they left the pharmacy, still talking on the phone.

* * *

It was nearly half past nine in the evening when Judy could finally put the phone on the table without it ringing within seconds again. She let herself fall onto the couch and put her feet up, with a flat breathing and closing her eyes.

"Hey carrots…", Nick was kneeling beside her and smiled softly when she opened her eyes again. He held a few pills in his paw and a glass of carrot juice in his other.

"What's all of this?" she sighed, being used to mostly herbal only meds.

"This is the new one against your pain…", he pointed to a small yellow one, "…and those two are vitamins and iron, like prescribed.

"Thanks", Judy took the pills and swallowed them with a big gulp of the juice. Nick sat beside her on the couch, put her feet on his lap and started to massage them gently.

"How bad is your pain in the chest really, carrots?"

"It's bearable, foxtrot. It just was a long day.", she smiled softly and poked him with a toe. "That… changes a lot of things, don't you think?"

"Well, yes, but we already decided that we want to try to get kits, didn't we?" he smiled happily.

"We talked about it, yes. And there was a low probability that it will actually work. And we only wanted to start with the therapy in about a month at the earliest. But now we are suddenly thrown in at the deep end…"

"Wait a second, carrots. Did you fear I would back down at the very last moment?" Nick raised surprised his eyebrows.

"I…" Judy looked bashfully at her chest.

Nick's smile changed into a shocked, finally a sad look. "You don't really think that I would be a good father at all, do you?"

"W-what? Yes, I do!" Judy said hasty, but Nick just shrugged hurt and wanted to get off the couch. With a quick – and painful – movement, Judy turned around and leaped at his side, holding him back at his shoulder. "Nick! Please…"

Even when Judy tried to not turn a hair, Nick heard in her voice how much pain the last movement must have caused to her.

"Judy, be careful…" he put his paw on her shoulder and looked worried, but the rabbit just pushed his paw away and clung at his neck, sniveling quietly.

"That wasn't what I meant, I swear! I'm afraid that _I_ will fail, not you!"

"You?" Nick starred at her unbelieving.

"I can recite the criminal code, Nick, and arrest a mammal five times my size if necessary. But the thought of having own kits is somewhat frightening to me. What if they got ill? Or they start crying and I don't know what to do? What if…"

"Hey, hey… carrots…" Nick smiled again and kissed a tear away from the corner of her eye. "Don't over exaggerate about this. Being a mother is something coming naturally to you when it's time. And don't forget about the most important thing…"

"That is?" she sniveled and wiped away another tear with her paw.

"I'm always there to support you." He gave her a gentle kiss and smiled encouraging.

Judy smiled lightly and crawled over his cheek. "See, that is why you will be the greatest dad ever. You always know what to say to make others feel better and something special."

"That's only because of you." He took her paw and kissed it. "You bring out the best in me."

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to hurt you, Nick." She put her arms around his neck.

"Come here, carrots…" he put his arms around her shoulders and propped her back up; Judy closed her eyes and exhaled, her pain lessen slowly. "You have to be more careful!"

"That's nothing, Nick." She smiled at him. "It did hurt much more to see your face earlier and to fear that you would turn away."

"Okay, enough apologies now." Nick winked. "You bunnies are so emotional…"

"And it's getting only worse during pregnancy." Judy giggled and crawled over his chest, reaching out her head and kissing him lovingly.

When her phone rang again, she groaned. "Sweet cheese and crackers!"

Nick snickered and reached out for the phone, handing it to Judy who accepted the call without looking on the display.

"Yeah?"

"OH MY GOODNESS!" – Clawhauser's voice was so loud she winced and had to hold the phone away from her ears. "I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU TWO ARE GETTING KITS, THIS IS SOOOO SWEEEEEEEET!"

"Thank you, Ben. Yeah, it really came as a surprise for us, too!" she rolled her eyes smiling while Nick giggled quietly.

"I ALWAYS KNEW YOU TWO ARE THE SWEETEST COUPLE EVER, BUT THAT IS JUST PUTTING THE CHERRY ON THE CAKE!"

"Yeah, thanks… but Ben, could you be a little bit quieter? I have some headache and the phone always makes someone's voice so much louder…"

"OH! Oh… of course! I'm just so excited! I even wanted to come along to congratulate you personally, but wasn't sure if you are even at home at the moment!" – Benjamin was considerably quieter now, but still loud enough for Nick to overhear him without the phone being on speakers.

"The phone is okay right now, Ben." Judy hurried to assure him, then asked somewhat curious: "How do you even know about it already?"

"Oh, Clara had told me during our phone call! She was all aflutter about it!"

"You are talking with Clara on the phone?!" – that caught Judy by surprise; Clara was her only litter-sister and normally telling her everything, no matter how irrelevant it might be.

"Sure, we … ", he suddenly stopped talking and nothing but a short gulp was heard over the phone.

"I don't wanna even know, Ben…" Judy tried to suppress a giggle. "Any chance you are not going to tell everyone at the precinct about my pregnancy, yet? I guess I should tell Chief Bogo first…"

"Oh! He already knows it! Sorry, Jude, but I couldn't contain myself and had to send a group text to everyone!" they could hear how Clawhauser had put his paw above his mouth and inhaled excited. "Was that a mistake?"

Judy and Nick rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"It's okay, Ben. I guess this was inevitable." The rabbit sighed with a smile and Nick kissed her softly on the forehead, grinning from ear to ear.

"OH THIS IS JUST SOOOO CUTE!" the cheetah screamed ecstatic and even Nick winced this time. "DO YOU ALREADY HAVE NAMES?"

* * *

They were laying together in the hot and steamy water of their bathtub, the phone finally put into silent mode and relaxing for the first time that day. Judy was floating briefly below the water surface, her head resting on Nick's chest with closed eyes and listening to his heartbeat with a dreamy smile.

"Your sister Clara and Clawhauser…?" Nick whispered out of a sudden and Judy began to giggle.

"Oh, don't even get started! I had no idea, and I'm not sure if I want to know anything about that anyway!"

Nick chuckled, "If I'm correct, since you are married now she is the oldest Hopps' daughter being single, isn't she?"

Judy punched his leg, making the water splash around. "Nick! Behave yourself!", but she had to giggle, too. "She had a girlfriend for nearly five years, but she broke up with Clara one and a half year ago. So it's not what you are thinking about, they are supposedly only good friends!"

"I would subscribe that immediately if there wouldn't be that little incident at our wedding. Wasn't Clara one of your witnesses?"

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" Judy put her paw over her mouth and laughed, eventually wincing and holding her chest. Nick put his paw above hers and crawled her arm slowly.

"Be glad that you are on sick leave, can you imagine what I will have to bear next week?" Nick sighed playfully.

"Do I even want to know about all your manly rituals?" Judy grinned.

"I have no idea what you are talking about! That's my first time having a pregnant girlfriend!"

"Oh, really? How do you even know, maybe there is a little Nick junior hustling his schoolmates you have no idea about." She giggled when she realized Nick's heartbeat going faster.

"Hey, that's not fair! Foxes have a bad record, but we are really faithful regarding our partners. Also, there is no Nick junior … yet." He winked – "And I'm never mentioning your ex-boyfriends, you jealous little bunny!"

"You know that I had no boyfriends in Bunnyburrow…" Judy muttered embarrassed.

"Oh, come on. Maybe no serious relationship, but someone to smooch and grope? What about prom night? I bet you were the queen!" he snickered.

"I missed the prom night because when I finally decided to go, everyone already had a partner and I didn't want to be the only one going alone. You should read your wedding ring again. It was really no exaggeration when I said you were my first – and last one. I was some kind of a nerd, you know. Nothing too popular with the guys." She snickered quietly.

"I bet, you were the cuties nerd ever… and they have no idea what they missed." he kissed her between the ears.

"Evelin is always ragging me because I never dated another rabbit, but went to the Wilde-side on the first try."

Nick groaned and let his head sank beneath the water surface for a few seconds. When he emerged again, he said playfully annoyed: "Such a lame joke out of your mouth… I hope your sense of humor isn't heritable!"

"Who knows…" she stretched her arms above her head, cuddling the fox lovingly, and giggled. "But be assured that I don't regret having waited for you."

"How would you know? I always thought I would be the best of the top, but as it seems now you just have no other reference!" he nibbled on her ear with a grin.

"Sorry, foxtrot. You were just the first one unlucky enough to take my heart by storm." She giggled and pedaled with her legs in the water. "And be careful with your tail, that's tickling!"

"Oh…" he whispered quietly, "That is not my tail, sassy bunny…"

Judy panted for breath, biting on her lower lip, but her little claws grasped into his fur.

* * *

"I'm back, carrots!", Nick opened the apartment door with two big paper bags on his arms. "They didn't have the yogurt with fresh carrots this time, so I got you a small selection with different fruits. Oh, and guess which farmers carrots and potatoes got the award 'Vegetable of the Month' – again." He snickered.

"If it would be anything different than the Hopps' brand, I would be in surprise, foxtrot." Judy laughed from the living room.

After bringing the groceries into the kitchen and putting them away, Nick walked over to the living room, where Judy was sitting at their couch table, bent forward over some kind of big book. He threw a grape into the air and caught it with his snout.

"Do you also like some fresh grapes?", he offered her a small bowl with a bunch of green grapes.

"Yes, thank you!" she smiled and waved with her paw for Nick to sit beside her, closing the book in front of her. "Come here, Nick. I want to show you something…"

"Mh? What is it?" he put the bowl on the table and sat next to his rabbit, looking at the book in front of her. On the front was a big photo affixed of them, sitting under a tree on a small hill on the edge of the Rainforest District, leaning against each other and watching dreamy the distance and high buildings of the Sahara Square. Nick remembered this very moment, Evelin shoot the photo half a year ago during one of their visits shortly after they moved into the new apartment. Above the photo was written with a gold and silver gloss varnish marker: ' _Chronicles of a Relationship_ '

Nick's eyes widened and he stroke with his paw over the cover, then smiled slyly. "I hope this story has a happy end… mind, if I take a closer look at it?"

Judy snickered and shook her head, then kissed him lovingly on his cheek. "You put so much afford in your marriage proposal and our wedding, but I never had the opportunity to return the favor appropriately."

"You said ' _Yes_ ' when I asked you to marry me… that already was the greatest gift." He smiled and leaned his head against hears.

"Maybe that also was a bit self-serving." She grinned and crawled with her paw over his head and ears. Oh, how much she loved those small and pointed ears of his!

Nick snickered and opened the photo album. On the first double-sided page, there was a short profile of Judy on the left side: A photo of her as a child in her police costume and saluting, her full name, birthdate, species, gender, likes and dislikes, hobbies, and her favorite quote ' _Make the world a better place!_ '; at the bottom was her paw print from her first child ID – on the right page was a similar profile for Nick (' _I promise to be brave, loyal, helpful, and trustworthy!_ '), including his own paw print and a rare picture of him saluting in his boy scout uniform.

"Woah, where did you get this photo from? I didn't even know that any copies still exist!"

"Your mother is wearing it in her purse and was kindly enough to let me copy and restore it." Judy smiled happy when she noticed Nick's touched facial expression.

The next few pages summarized Judy's childhood in Bunnyburrow: A photo of her as a baby bunny right after birth, from her own litter, her first day in the kindergarten, a poorly drawn crayon picture made by her of her family with all of her 39 siblings at that time, helping her parents on the fields and sitting in their market stand handing a customer a small bag with carrots, playing in the crops, letting fly a kite together with a few siblings, … on six pages were the most cute moments and photos of Judy Hopps that Nick had ever saw, all together with small comments and headlines by her. Nick turned another page, expecting more photos of her, but on the next page was a photo of a young fox and a vixen, holding a cute little baby fox in their arms. He was thunderstruck from the insight what he saw. There were even more photos of him he had never see before: Playing with his mother, crawling over his father's stomach or clinging at his tail, his first birthday cake with a single candle, him hiding behind some large potted plants in their old family home, … he browsed through the following six pages full of old, long forgotten childhood memories and had tears in his eyes.

"Your Mom sent me all those photos while we were staying at the burrow after our wedding. She kept them all those years and when I told her what I planned to create for you, she was more than eager to help me out…" Judy put her arm around Nick's chest and crawled through his fur, comforting him with a wide smile.

"Oh, carrots…" Nick sobbed quietly after a while and tried to calm down.

Judy put her paw on his' and helped him to turn another page. At the top was written: ' _There were throwbacks and sad moments, too…_ ' – on the left side were photos of Judy with a broken arm when she was four, a scary and bleeding scratch wound on her cheek ( _with a poorly sketched fox head beside it_ ), a photo of her in a nice little dress standing alone with a sad face in their parents kitchen (' _Prom Night, first and last time I wanted to wear a dress!_ ') and lastly a photo of her as a baby, together with Ralph and Clara – her litter siblings; but beside baby Judy was another small bunny, a small flower drew beside her. The comment below the photo was: ' _A gang of four for only 36 hours, until our little sister Flowers already left us behind in grief._ ' – that was another bombshell for Nick, he had no idea that there was a fourth child in Judy's litter and she had never talked about it before. She wasn't talking right now, too, just cuddling with him and crawling his fur. The fox slowly put his arm around his little bunny and cradled her feelingly. His look was already browsing over the opposite page that contains what he had already assumed. There was a photo of his boy scout uniform thrown in a corner of his room, a picture of him at his ninth birthday in front of his cake but sitting alone with his parents at the table, their old family home with a ' _Sold_ ' sign in front of it and at the bottom a picture of him and his mother in black clothes during his father's funeral. As sad as those pictures were, they weren't really hurting anymore, being a part of him for already such a long time. At the bottom was written with the silver marker: ' _…but even when they always accompany us, they did not negatively affect the mammal we grow up as in the long run but helped us forge our character._ '

With a last look to the group photo of Judy's litter, Nick slowly turned another page. ' _We lived our life…_ ' was written on top of it, and beneath were mixed photos of Judy during her time at the High School and Police Academy, and Nick taking guitar lessons and finishing Public School. ' _And finally succeeded_ ' was the next headline, together with photos of Judy's graduation at the police academy and Nick selling pawsickles in front of his push cart with a sly grin – obviously secretly made by Finnick to blackmail him eventually.

Nick had to grin somewhat: "Not really a big accomplishment to sell pawsicles to hamsters, compared to your graduation."

"You were quite satisfied back then, weren't you? And as far as I remember you didn't earn as little as now." She nudged him with her elbow and Nick snickered, turning another page.

' _First met as opponents_ ' was the next headline and Judy had made up a ' _Wanted_ ' poster with Nick's picture and ' _Fiscal evasion_ ' written beneath it, and a photo of her posing in her uniform and with her drawn stun gun, grinning slyly. – ' _Confronted with prejudice_ ' headed the next page, together with an affixed cut out news article showing Judy during the press conference and blaming predators eventually going savage again. Below that was the crinkled 'Junior ZPD' sticker that Nick had thrown away after the press conference; on the opposite page was the likewise crinkled application form for the police academy by Nick.

"You really kept those things all the while?" Nick raised his eyebrows in surprise and Judy gave him a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I knew that I made a big mistake the moment you walked out of that door and wanted something to remember you always… you had my recorder pen with your voice so those litter was all that was remaining."

Nick smiled and rubbed his snout over her head while turning another page of the album.

' _Finally finished what we once started months ago_ ' – together with another cut out news article with Bellwether arrested, a picture of a basket with blueberries and in a small affixed plastic pocket Nick's boy scout bandana he had used to bandage Judy's leg in the museum.

He laughed, stroking with his paw over the plastic pocket. "You are a little pack rat, Misses Hopps-Wilde!"

Judy giggled and shrugged with her shoulders. "Maybe?"

On the next few pages were photos of Nick on the police academy and the headline ' _Surpassing himself_ ' – concluding with Judy giving him his badge on his graduation. The next double-sided page was a big poster of the Gazelle concert they were attending a few days after; in the middle were their tickets affixed and on another page were quite a few photos of them from different angles, standing arm in arm in the Hollow Bar and sharing their very first kiss on the dance floor. Obviously they were photographed by nearly every colleague that was still present at the bar back then.

The following pages were full with their first weeks as a couple: Their second place on the biathlon, Nick sitting in a wheelchair with casts and Judy's little sisters climbing on him, a photo of Nick's final welcome in the big living room of the Hopps' burrow together with dozens of Judy's siblings and their first photo on the family tree wall in the background, during a walk in the park or the streets of Zootopia, sitting in a café, sharing the small beds in their former single apartments, dozens of selfies, their final move into the new common apartment they were still living in, a few small awards they got during work, the little papers with hints from the scavenger hunt Nick performed for their six months anniversary … then there was a affixed invitation to Evelin and Sven's wedding together with the tickets for the cinema Judy went to with Evelin two days before the wedding. On the next page was a photo of Nick kneeling in front of an all in tears Judy Hopps, holding a ring in his paws and asking her to marry him. Below the photo Judy wrote with the gold and silver markers in big letters ' _Yes!_ ', together with a photo of her plain engagement ring – and her singing enthusiastically (and most probably drunken), dancing on a seat during the party in the cinema. Another ten pages were full with pictures of their wedding, showing them alone, together with Evelin and Sven, their witnesses, dancing on the party, with their parents and also a photo of the brooch – a family heirloom of the Wilde family – Judy got as a gift from Nick's mother before their wedding.

One of the last pages caused Nick to wince slightly, the cut out news article of the assault against Judy with a car bomb stared him in the face. Above the article was written: ' _The price of finally realizing the truth was high…_ ' and beside was a copy of Judy's X-ray image and a photo of dozens little shrapnel. Nick tightened his hug slightly, then read the text below the news article: ' _But as it was initially Bellwether's case bringing us together, it seems almost natural that another case associated with her marked the beginning of a new chapter in our own family chronicle…_ ' – he turned the page and saw what Judy had pasted into the album when he returned from shopping nearly one and a half hour ago: The ultrasound image Doctor Alisson had made just yesterday, showing two little beating hearts. Below it was written: ' _Our personal little miracle and the greatest gift we could ever hope for_ ' – a few pages were still empty and Nick slowly closed the thick album with shaking paws.

"I…", Nick began to speak but paused again, not knowing how to express what he was feeling right now. After all that time Judy still managed to surprise him with the most unique and touching present someone had ever made for him. He wanted to hug her, say how much he loved and yearned for her, how much her gift really meant for him, … but he could only stare at the closed album, being in an emotional stupor like the day before when he learned that Judy was pregnant.

Based on his reaction on the surface one could be worried that he didn't really liked the gift, but Judy knew her fox better and could hear his heart beating at an almost alarming rate. Rendering her otherwise nimble-witted fox speechless and stunned was probably the greatest compliment. She pulled Nick's upper body back against the couch at his shoulders and crawled on his lap, putting her arms around his neck, cuddling him lovingly. It took him a while to regain his full consciousness, putting his arms around the furball on his lap and snuggled his face against Judy's.

"You are incredible…", he whispered into her ears, sniveling silently.

"You really sat the bar high in the past, foxtrot.", Judy snickered and gave him a soft kiss.

"We are definitely even, carrots.", Nick gave a short laugh and replied her kiss affectionately.


	26. 3x05 - Sister Act

_"_ _A birth-date is a reminder to celebrate the life as well as to update the life." – Amit Kalantri_

* * *

It was nearly daunting how fast the week went by. Nick and Judy had talked a lot about the last weeks and how their life had changed: For the better and for the worse. The nightmares and fears since the bomb assault decreased, but Judy's pains in the chest and the few bare spots in her fur that were visible even when clothed, were a constant reminder. On Thursday Nick had a call with Doctor Carter to arrange his next four appointments – the first one was already on the next day on Friday. But the young couple also read and talked a lot about rabbit pregnancies, and especially those about mixed-species pregnancies. They even started to plan how to alter their apartment, making it more suitable for kits.

On Friday morning after their breakfast, they both went to the inner city by tram. Nick had his appointment with Doctor Carter and Judy wanted to officially inform Chief Bogo about her pregnancy and request maternity leave for the time after her sick note. When they arrived at Precinct One, Judy hesitated to enter it for the first time.

Nick stopped and turned around, "Everything okay, carrots? Are you sure you want to go to Bogo already this week?"

"It's okay".

Judy smiled and took a deep breath. Even when having a rough start as a small prey, everybody respected her and the work she accomplished like any other police officer by now. But she still had some reproaches because of Officer Reed – he had to protect her particularly because of her size. Now she couldn't even help their colleagues for several weeks while being sick, but she was also afraid how Bogo would react because of her maternity leave. Of course, there were quite some women on the force, but those who had children were mostly on office duty or in-door staff. There was no Officer on field work with children – as far as she knew. But that was exactly what she planned to continue to do in the future, going on patrol with Nick and ' _kicking the buts of the baddies'_ , as she had called it while talking with Nick.

Nick was still watching her and she finally winked: "Come on, or you'll be late to your appointment".

He gave her a short kiss and smiled, holding the glass door open for her. They approached the front-desk from the left side so Clawhauser wouldn't see them immediately. It was only when Nick was leaning on his desk, that the cheetah turned his head pleasantly surprised – but couldn't see the little rabbit yet.

"Nick! How are you? I thought that you had a free week! How is Judy?"

"I have an appointment with Doctor Carter at ten o'clock". Nick smiled with a short side-glance to the clock on the wall behind the desk. He still had a few minutes left. "But you have to do me a small favor, Big-Ben".

"Suuuure! What is it?" the cheetah was propping his head on both paws, his arms resting with the elbows on the desk and looking eagerly to Nick.

"Well, I know how you sometimes have the tendency to freak out. Just remember, that you are a big and strong guy and how painful a few broken ribs could be, especially when starting to hug someone…" Nick winked with a sly grin.

"Oh… erm…?" Clawhauser was looking a bit quizzical, not quite sure what his fox-friend was talking about.

Nick made a step to the side and nodded his head with a wink in Judy's direction. The cheetah's eyes widened and with a joyful squeak he jumped off his chair and ran around the front-desk, approaching Judy with arms extended.

"OHHHH, JUDY!"

The rabbit grinned a bit, preparing to be crushed any moment, but Benjamin took a short break before gently hugging her while grinning from ear-to-ear.

"You're looking as cute as always!" he shouted with glee.

"Thanks, Ben". Judy smiled with a sigh and Nick snickered.

"Okay, I think I can leave you both alone for an hour. See you later, carrots". He said and gave his rabbit a quick kiss between her ears before walking to the stairs, heading for the second floor.

"How are you doing, do you still have pain? How are your kits? Oh, we are all missing you two already! If I had known that you were coming today, I would have planned …" the cheetah bombarded her with questions after he sat behind his desk again.

Judy grinned and held up her paw as a sign to hold up for a moment. "That's exactly why I didn't announced it in advance", she winked. "I just wanted to accompany Nick for his appointment and take the opportunity to officially inform Chief Bogo about my pregnancy and request maternity leave. Don't make a fuss about me being here today, please".

"Okay". Clawhauser looked a bit disappointed but then smiled again already. "Oh, it's so great to see you again on your own feet! We were all concerned when we saw you in that wheelchair last week during the funeral, but didn't have the opportunity to talk to you or Nick as you left quickly again. But Bogo made it clear to all, that you need some time to yourself, or we would all have been visiting you already!"

"Yeah, the last one-and-a-half weeks were a little bit rough…" she smiled. "But since we're already talking about it, how are the investigations regarding Ramses and Bale going on?"

"I…", Clawhauser hesitated, "…actually I think that I'm not allowed to talk about those with you, as you are involved yourself and too close". He looked nervous and not too happy.

"Come on, just a quick summary. I will show you my first ultrasound picture in return, deal?" she winked with a wide grin.

* * *

"Come in!" – Doctor Carter waved to Nick after he had knocked on her door and entered. "Hello, Nick. Great that our appointment worked out even on such short notice!" she shook his paw and they sat down on the two couches.

"When we have to meet, we can also do it as soon as possible so I can get back on duty", He smiled noncommittal.

"You consider these meetings as some kind of penalization, don't you?"

"Well, you said we would just talk, but based on your evaluation I was put on office duty".

"That was no punishment, Nick. It takes a while to fully realize and eventually process traumatic events, and you are putting yourself and your colleagues in danger if this happens at the wrong moment while in the field".

"That wouldn't happen!"

"I believe you right now, but you cannot know that".

"I'm fighting against the prejudgment of being a coward and unreliable fox since I joined the police. Your evaluation will render all my efforts to nothing again!" Nick sounded frustrated.

Doctor Carter still stayed calm, explaining: "I saw experienced officers and detectives that were on duty for more than twenty years, who were suddenly scared stiff in a critical situation, because some details reminded them of an event they never really processed. This is something that can happen to everyone and really has nothing to do with your species".

"Do you really believe others will be able to differentiate that?"

"You should put more trust into your colleagues", Samantha smiled encouragingly.

"Oh, great. Now we are discussing my trust-issues, too?" Nick rolled his eyes annoyed.

"We can talk about everything, Nick. These meet-ups are for you, and of course we can talk about anything that you perceive as an issue. But don't hustle me with a psychologist act, and I won't hang out on it either".

The fox sighed and nodded, "Sorry".

"Well, now that we have cleared that up: How is Judy doing? I heard that you took this week off to stay at home with her".

"Her injuries are healing well, but she is still in quite some pain because of her broken ribs".

"Oh, I understand. Yes, those chest injuries are really inconvenient. Normally you would immobilize the broken part of the body, reducing the pain drastically. But a cast around the chest would obstruct breathing even more as it is already due to the injuries and is rarely an option. In a few weeks it should get better after the body build up some callus", – when Nick looked somewhat surprised, Doctor Carter winked: "I'm not only psychologist but an educated doctor".

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be impolite". Nick smiled somewhat embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it", She smiled kindly. "But you are aware that it will take a while until Judy can get back on duty with you then? Even when it doesn't hurt anymore in a few weeks, she will be able to do some light office work at most. As a general rule, it will take around three months for broken rips to heal completely".

"Yes, our family doctor already informed us about that. Actually, it may take even longer for her to return into active duty…" Nick sighed, but also smiled a bit.

"Does your doctor expect some complications?" Doctor Carter inclined her head.

"Not really a complication…" Nick hesitated – "Judy is pregnant".

"Oh! Congratulations, Nick!" Samantha Carter smiled widely. "After all that's happened, I guess that is some really great news. I guess, you two already planned to have kits for a while then?"

"Actually…", Nick rubbed his neck – "…we seriously talked about it the first time after the assault".

Doctor Carter nodded slowly. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, Nick. Those things are prone to make everyone think about their future. Some stop bad habits, some try out new things or fulfill some long-deferred wishes. And especially in case of a couple it's only natural to think about things like marriage and kits". She frowned a bit, then continued in a more quizzical tone: "You said, that Judy is already pregnant. Regarding that you two talked about it only last week…"

"You said you are also a medical doctor; I guess you are wondering about the timeframe?" Nick smiled somewhat.

"We don't have to talk about it, I'm just somewhat curious", she smiled and, when Nick nodded, continued – "I think you wanted to try it with in vitro fertilization, but that would take more than just a week. And I don't think that a serious doctor would begin with the procedure with her current injuries. Are you the father, or…?"

"Well, that would explain my trust-issues if I weren't, right?" Nick smiled friendly.

"I won't deny, that I thought about it", Doctor Carter smiled forthcoming.

"It came as a surprise to us too. But maybe I was a rabbit in my prior life", Nick winked.

"You don't like being a fox?"

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You are speaking of foxes being distrustful; believing others and especially your colleagues would not rely on you because of your species. Marrying someone of another species and even thinking about being a rabbit in your prior life…"

"That just was an idiom", Nick rolled his eyes.

"Maybe, but it emphasizes your basic attitude, don't you think?"

"I didn't marry Judy because she is a rabbit or because I don't want to be a fox! I love her because she is a beautiful, intelligent, loving and a snappy mammal. It had nothing to do with her or my species!" Nick sounded upset again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to minimalize your relationship or emotions! What I was talking about is, that maybe some of your concerns – like the missing trust of your colleagues – are just a mirrored attitude of yourself".

"It's not my attitude, but experiences I made with others".

"I guessed so. You also grew up here in Zootopia, right?" Doctor Carter asked, and Nick nodded confirming. "It was a different time back then; we predators were more often confronted with prejudice, and it was even worse for foxes, living in the Meadowlands. But look at you now: You are an honored police officer, proving all those old prejudices wrong! You married a wonderful woman regardless of her species, again despite every prejudice against fox and rabbits – and I know how serious foxes take romantic relationships. Now you are even having your own kits. You were fighting hard to prove everyone wrong who tried to pigeon-hole you! And now being successful you are afraid you will lose all of this again".

"Assuming this to be true…", Nick said slowly – "Wouldn't this be quite comprehensible?"

"This is what I was trying to say, Nick", Samantha said smiling friendly. "You proved everyone wrong, but yourself. It's not like others aren't trusting you; you are assuming they aren't because you wouldn't if you were in their spot. After all that time, you are still trying to fight your worst enemy: Yourself".

"Great, I'm not a narcissist, but the opposite. What do you call that?" Nick sighed.

"When it comes to an extreme you would call the opposite someone with major depression. But in your case?" she smiled – "It's all too faunal to fear losing what you had worked hard for. Just because you are talking with a psychologist doesn't mean you are mentally ill. I'm just trying to help you to be more balanced and pleased with your own achievements".

Nick leaned back on the couch, thinking about Doctor Carters words for a while in silence. He finally asked: "What has all of this got to do with what happened in the car park?"

"Although you did your best, and succeeded, a colleague who trusted your decision died. You were in doubt for several days if it was your fault or not, and even now – knowing that it wasn't – you fear that your colleagues would hold it against you, And the next time you are in a critical situation, have to make a difficult decision and trust your intuition, it's possible that this fear will paralyze you. This explosion made your own fears that you carried with you for so long surface again, And I want to help you to process this".

"And I thought that I had a tough job…", Nick snickered with a wink.

Samantha laughed – "Don't worry, you are a good guy with decent character; that makes my job easier".

* * *

"Hopps!" – Chief Bogo greeted his only rabbit officer with his usual noncommittal facial expression. "Take a seat, please".

"Thank you, Chief", Judy smiled a bit and climbed on one of the big chairs.

"It's good to see you walking on your own again. How are your injuries?"

"They're okay." She smiled – "Could really be worse."

" _Though she be but little, she is fierce!_ " Bogo suggested with a small smile.

"You're citing William Shakespaw? Never thought of you as being a fan of the classics, Chief!" Judy snickered.

"Hrmph…" Bogo snorted. "Well, I guess you're not only making a courtesy visit, Officer Hopps?"

"No, Sir.", Judy shook her head. "I'm here to officially request maternity leave for after my sick note has ended".

The cape buffalo leaned back in his chair, watching Judy carefully over the edge of his reading glasses. "Do you remember what I told you the first day Officer Wilde and you came to me, suggesting you were fraternizing?"

"Yes?"

"I seem to remember saying that I don't care what you do in your private time as long as it will not interfere with your job", Bogo grumbled and took his glasses off.

"Y-Yes…?"

"Well, I think you can call getting pregnant interfering quite obviously with your job!" he leaned forward.

"But Sir, I …" Judy seemed to feel somewhat uneasy.

"Just kidding!" Bogo smirked, stood up from his chair and handed his hoof to Judy. "Congratulations, you two!"

Judy twitched with her muzzle and laughed shortly, shaking his hoof relieved. "Thanks Chief! So you're fine with it?"

"You should have seen your face", Bogo winked. "Your maternity leave will be approved of course, Clawhauser will hand you the appropriate form. I guess you know that he already informed us on Monday?"

"He mentioned it … but I thought I should inform you officially in person nevertheless".

"Sometimes I wonder where this cheetah gets all of his information. A Sloth would probably outrun him, but he always the first to have the newest information and rumors".

Judy decided, that it was definitely not her job to inform Bogo about Clawhauser's informant and just agreed with him. "I have something else on my mind, Sir."

"Yes?" Bogo leaned back again.

"I was wondering, if I'm still allowed to return to normal duty after my return…"

"What makes you challenge this, Hopps?" Bogo raised his eyebrows.

"Well, I know no female Officer or Detective with children that is still on field work. Of course, I will be at home for a while, but … I never thought of abandoning my regular job permanently and really want to go on patrol with Ni… Officer Wilde again after my return".

"Hopps, be assured that I will save your place in my squad as long as needed, and Officer Wilde will be reassigned as your partner when you return; I'm sure that no other can bear with him in the long run anyway", Bogo smiled slyly. "In fact, we have a few Officers on field work with children. But most of them request shifting to office duty because it's more safe, and even when I said I would save your place … I want you to at least think about it. Your risk is even higher, because you and your husband are both working on the force; I guess I don't have to emphasize the possible risks, especially to you. But I will leave the final decision on this to you and Wilde. If you are sure about coming back to the squad, you will be welcomed! Be assured we already started to miss our _cute token bunny_." – he smirked on his last words and Judy rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, Chief. I promise I'll think about it", she smiled a bit.

The intercom was beeping and Clawhauser's tinny voice was heard: "Chief, Officer Wilde wants to talk with you for a moment".

"Speak of the devil…", Bogo rolled his eyes and answered the intercom: "Send him in".

It took a minute before he knocked on the door. Bogo called: "Come in!"

Nick entered the office and saluted: "Good morning, Sir!"

"Wilde! Take a seat, I just talked with your partner… and congratulations for you, too!", Bogo handed him his hoof with a light smile. "I didn't expect you before next week, what's the matter?"

"Thank you, Sir. I just had another appointment with Doctor Carter and just wanted to inform you that I would like to accept yours and Detective Marki's offer".

"Glad to hear that, I will inform him and you report on Monday directly at his department. Anything else?"

"No, Sir."

"Okay, I think we were finished, too, Hopps?", Bogo turned his head to Judy who nodded.

"Yes, Sir."

"Dismissed, then! Unlike you, I still have some work to do today!", he grumbled.

Judy and Nick were nearly out of the door when the rabbit stopped and turned around again: "You are coming tomorrow evening, too?"

"We will see…", Bogo muttered without looking up from the case file he already started to read.

* * *

On their way out, Nick and Judy met Delgato and Wolford who had arrested a panda. Of course, the two colleagues wanted to congratulate the pregnant couple and they talked for a short while. When they finally left the precinct, it was half past eleven and drizzling, making them head for the subway station rather quickly. The next train heading to the main railway station was due in six minutes – Judy's two litter-siblings Ralph and Clara were visiting them over the weekend as it was Judy's and theirs 26th birthday the next day. With so many children it was only natural that not everyone's birthday was celebrated with a big party after reaching a certain age. After that the litter siblings normally met and had a small celebration among themselves. Last year they met at Ralph's burrow and Clara suggested to meet in Zootopia this year. The two bunnies had announced their arrival for 13:12, so Nick and Judy had planned to go for a short walk beforehand; but as they did not bring an umbrella, they now drove to the station immediately and killed time with a coffee at Starpaws.

"So, how was your meeting with Bogo?" Nick asked after they entered the train and sat down on a bench.

"You were right, he tried to kid me. First blueberry muffin is on me", she grinned with a short roll of her eyes.

"Yessss!", Nick made a fist-pump and grinned happily like a dog with two tails.

"Dumb fox", his rabbit leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled. "He was really nice otherwise, said he would save my place in the squad as your partner for when I return".

"See? You were falsely alarmed as I told you, carrots." Nick smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. "No other could stand my charming personality as a partner in the long run anyway", – Judy began to snicker and Nick raised an eyebrow: "What?"

"That's exactly what Bogo said, too".

"Some buffalo swallowed a clown for breakfast, mh?", Nick sighed with a smile.

Judy took his paw and got off their bench as the train just arrived at the station, pulling Nick with her giggling: "Don't pout, you know he's right, foxtrot".

"That makes it even worse, carrots!" Nick winked and they headed to the coffee shop.

They both took a large latte and some muffins – blueberry for Nick and with chocolate chips for Judy. After finding themselves a table a bit apart in a corner, Judy asked: "And how was your therapy session?"

"Doctor Carter believes that I got a few trust-issues!", Nick chuckled.

"No way!", Judy put a paw in front of her mouth with wide open eyes in played shock. "And she needs to be a doctor to get this insight?" – she started to giggle a bit.

"That's quite counterproductive, cottontail…"

Judy giggled even more – "I'm sorry, Nick. But that is one of your most obvious character traits…". When the fox started to pout again, she put her paw onto his and smiled. "I didn't say it's a bad trait, it's really cute from time to time. Maybe it's just somewhat hindering when it's regarding our job."

"Says the paramount example of self-assurance."

"Not always, as you know for sure", she smiled and took another sip of her latte. "Wanna talk about it, or was your meeting already enough for today?"

"Well, to be honest I think that those sessions are somewhat helpful…" Nick took a thoughtful bite of his muffin and eventually told her what he talked about with Doctor Carter.

* * *

When the Zootopia Express arrived, Judy and Nick were waiting in the middle of the platform and kept watching for Judy's siblings. As Nick was obviously larger than the rabbit, he saw them first and waved smiling in their direction. Ralph was carrying a handgrip and walked towards them while Clara ran towards her sister with short leaps – Judy had to stop her with her outstretched arms so Clara would not accidently crush another of her ribs and finally they hugged carefully and giving quick kisses to each other's cheeks.

Nick was a few meters behind Judy, walking over to them slowly with a small grin. When he suddenly got a quick smell of a decent but all-so-familiar scent, he turned his head and saw Evelin approaching them from the other end of the platform. When she saw that Nick had noticed her, she winked with a big grin to him and put a finger in front of her mouth as a gesture to stay quiet. After arriving at Nick's side, he took her small bag and Eve snuck up on Judy, who was currently hugging Ralph, and eventually put her paws from behind over Judy's eyes who squeaked in surprise – but Evelin's pregnant belly pressing against Judy's back revealed her immediately who also came for a visit and she turned quickly around, shouting with glee.

"Eve! You're here, too!?", Judy hugged her best friend and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You're really a great cop, recognizing even the smallest traces", Evelin snickered.

"Dumb bunny", Judy outstretched her tongue and grinned. "You should feel lucky that I made enough lasagna so you can eventually have some, too".

"I called us a Zuber, he will collect us in a few minutes at the main entrance. Walking home in the rain isn't desirable, I like my bunnies dry and happy", Nick winked and took Ralph's bag, too, walking ahead while the four bunnies were following him a bit slower and talking eagerly.

When they left the railway station, their Zuber driver was already waiting and it took them ten minutes to get home. Nick brought their guests bag into the guest room and thoughtfully leaned on the wall.

"Hey, Nick. Everything okay?" Ralph had entered the room, searching for the fox.

"Mh…? Oh, yeah. I was just thinking how to best split all of us into the different sleeping rooms", he smiled. "You and Clara can sleep here in the guest room and I will stay on the couch so Evelin and Judy can both share our bedroom".

"Eve will probably protest against this, she didn't intend to banish you from your own bed!"

"Nah, that will be no problem. Besides I would never let a pregnant rabbit sleep on a convertible sofa or the couch", he winked.

"Your guest bed is big enough for all three of us!" Ralph smiled. "We have all shared our bedrooms with so many siblings for so long, that's really no problem at all".

"Let's postpone this decision until later, I guess Judy is already in the kitchen preparing lunch!" Nick took a long sniff and patted Ralph on his shoulders. "Come on, I chilled a few bottles of your favorite apple beer – how was your journey?"

Judy had banned everyone from the kitchen while she was preparing lunch, and later got a lot of praise for her lasagna from all her guests and Nick.

"It's nearly the same as mine…" Evelin pondered, "But you changed something, didn't you?" – when Judy wanted to protest, Eve grinned and made a defensive gesture. "No, no, nothing bad, really! It tastes great, but I know how my own recipe tastes. You gave it your own touch, didn't you?"

"Well, maybe I made a few very small variations to your recipe", Judy snickered.

"She isn't even telling me what she changed, can you believe this?" Nick pouted.

"I remember when you tried to make this Hollandaise Sauce from the fresh asparagus Mom sent us", Judy was talking reproachful to Nick, then turned her head to her siblings with a wink. "Since then we have a small fire extinguisher in the kitchen!"

Ralph made big eyes, Clara and Evelin just started to giggle. Nick sighed and dropped his gaze, starting to clean up the table.

"You can sit down in the living room while Nick and I clean everything up", Judy smiled.

Evelin laid down on the couch, her head resting on Clara's lap and her feet on Ralph's. The three were quietly talking and giggling when their hosts joined them, bringing a few glasses and bottles on two tablets with them.

"Why are you all crowding on a single couch?" Nick raised his eyebrows irritated, but Judy snickered.

"We rabbits prefer groups, we are generally not too happy being alone. Not even on a couch when visiting the only sister that lives 300km away!" Evelin snickered.

"You can just agree that you love all the attention being pregnant", Judy winked and sat down with Nick on another couch.

"Don't you miss all of this, sis?" Ralph asked smiling.

"Hey, she is not alone! Maybe I am no rabbit, but I'm at least as cuddly as you", Nick snickered and the other rabbits joined in laughing.

Judy smiled to her fox and gave him a kiss. "Our regular visits in Bunnyburrow made it easier, but of course I miss all of you".

"Speaking of missing you", Evelin smiled. "I already asked Ralph and Clara to be godparents for my first litter, but it would be really great if you would agree, too, Juju."

"Aww, that's really nice of you, Eve!" Judy's eyes were beaming happily. "You know of course, that I have to refuse, but I feel lucky that you asked me nevertheless".

"Why do you have to refuse? And why do you say 'of course'? I'm being totally serious about that; I really want you to be their godmother!" Evelin frowned and looked irritated.

"How would I perform my obligations as a godmother when I live here in Zootopia? Also, I will be working in the near future again. Those aren't good premises, and you know that. You, and especially your kits deserve someone closer and with a lot more time for them!" Judy smiled; she didn't seem to be envenomed about it, only a bit sad.

"Sorry, but do the godparents in rabbit families have a special purpose? In fox families we have two godparents for our kits. They will adopt them if something bad happens to both parents while the kits are young. But when I listen to you two talking about it, there seems to be some different tasks for the godparents?" Nick cocked his head and looked questioningly to Judy and Eve. But it was Ralph who was starting with an answer.

"Well, as you probably now, rabbit families can have quite a lot of kits".

"You don't say!" Nick looked shocked and the rabbits giggled.

"Of course, the parents still have jobs, or in case of a family business quite some work to do, besides parenting that is", Ralph said, then Clara continued:

"So, if a bunny gets pregnant, she declares a few godparents for their litter. For the first litter that's usually the own litter siblings of both parents, depending on the litter-size sometimes an additional siblings-litter. There are always siblings in each family that are caring for the household of the burrow and the child education of the other kits mainly. Some of those even make a job out of it, later – becoming a kindergarten Teacher like Eve for example!"

Judy continued and turned to Nick: "So, while the parents are caring for their kits for the first few weeks, the godparents take care of their godchildren over the day in the following years to relieve the parents. So our kits education is still in the family and not in the responsibility of a foreign baby-sitter", she smiled and turned back to her siblings. "And that's also the reason I have to refuse, Eve. Not only am I living far away from home, but both Nick and I still have jobs. We didn't even have a solution yet how to take care of our own kits, there is no realistic chance we can regularly look after yours, too. As happy as I would be to do it!" she smiled regretful.

"You are all correct", Eve said. "But you missed another aspect of the godparents: They are very important role models for the kits. And you are not only my best friend, Judy, but also my big role model since we were kits".

"And you really want to appeal this fate for your own kits, too?" Nick snickered and received a hard punch against his shoulder for it from Judy.

"Well, beside her mate selection I see nothing wrong with Juju", Eve winked.

"Pff…", Nick folded his arms and leaned back against the couch, nipping on his apple beer.

"I'm really touched, Eve, and I feel honored", Judy smiled widely.

"Then just agree, and I will stop bugging you about it", Eve grinned.

"But…" Judy began, but Evelin threw a pillow in her direction.

"No buts, Juju. The distance is as obvious to Sven and me as the fact that you and Nick are working. We still want you as close friends and role models to play a big role in our kits life", Evelin smiled and turned her head to Nick. "Oh, you two that is, Sven and I agreed that we want you both as godparents. Our youngest siblings simply love you, foxy, and you will be a great godfather to our litter, too".

"Me? Are you sure?" Nick gulped a bit embarrassed. "That's really an honor, thanks Eve. But I'm not sure if I can measure up to your expectations".

Judy smiled first to Nick, then to Evelin and nodded. "Okay, if you really insist on it. But I already feel guilty for not spending enough time with them!" she sighed winking.

"That led us to another subject!" Clara said smiling. "You said you didn't want to become a godmother because of the long distance and because you're working. But you are having your own litter in a few weeks, too! Did you never thought about asking us to be your godparents?"

"I… err…" Judy hesitated nervously. "To be honest, I didn't want you to slide into the awkward situation of having to refuse it. I'm the only rabbit of our family living this far away from the burrow. It's just impossible to maintain all of our traditions", she sighed somewhat sadly and leaned her head against Nick's shoulder, who put his arm around her.

"And what will you do after your maternity leave? We all know how much you love your job; I cannot imagine you as a house-bunny. The same for you, Nick", Ralph questioned them.

The fox cleared his throat, "My mother offered to look after our kits during the week while we are at work. She isn't the youngest and it will be no durable solution, but it will make her happy and at least it's a short-time solution for the first few months".

"We also visited a playgroup for prey here in Zootopia, but they don't support our uncommon working shifts. Also, they don't accept any predator kits to ' _avoid problems_ '." Judy rolled her eyes. "When we told them about our mixed-species kits, they wanted to call us back but never did. So, as I said before, we don't really have a solution yet, but there are still a few weeks left".

"She really didn't intend to ask us", Ralph frowned and spoke to Clara who nodded and answered:

"Yeah, I would be spiky about it if I wasn't so shocked!"

"Maybe she's been in this big city for too long and has forgotten about all her family values. I mean, this is the classical situation why the godparents exist: First-time parents, both working full-time and being slightly overcharged by their first litter", Evelin talked with Ralph and Clara as if Judy and Nick weren't even there.

Judy wanted to say something, but Ralph interrupted her before she could even start: "I guess, she would concede the long distance and that it's her own fault for having left the burrow".

"Since when does the family end on the border of the burrow? Besides, Zootopia isn't too far away, it's just a two-hour ride with the Express", Clara answered.

Again, Judy wanted to say something, but this time Evelin interrupted her beforehand: "It's just a short ride, still you cannot commute on a daily basis. But when they are going to visit us on weekends in Bunnyburrow, some of us could accompany them and stay with them in the guest room during the week. There would be a dozen siblings willing to help them out, let alone the chance to visit Zootopia. So, I would be willing to visit her twice a month. This would also give them the chance to spend additional time with my kits, too! Miriam, Fiona, River and Jenny all agreed to this idea, too – what about you?"

Judy and Nick were looking at each other, both rather perplexed as the other rabbits were planning on solving all baby-sitting-problems as if they weren't even attending.

"I bet Mel would love to come to Zootopia from time to time", Ralph said, talking about his wife.

"Me, too! I also have a few friends here but only rarely have the opportunity to visit", Clara said grinning.

"Yeah, seems as if there really is no big thing about this. I have absolutely no idea, why Juju never thought of asking or even just talking with us about it", Eve concluded with a sigh.

"Maybe it's the influence of this fox she had married: He slowly tries to isolate her from her family and finally bring her into total subjection… she seems to be a big fan of this pred-prey-thingy..." Clara said thoughtfully.

"HEY!" Judy straightened up on the couch with narrowed eyes. She knew exactly that her sister was only joking, but wasn't sure if Nick knew it, too. And at this point it was more safe to eventually break up the little show her siblings obviously had planned. "I think we get what you are talking about!" she snorted with a small grin.

"Are you sure?" Eve grinned at her sister.

"Yeah", Judy smiled widely, got off the couch and tried to hug all three other bunnies at once, some tears in her eyes. "I didn't want to bother you with our problems and had totally forgotten that with such a great family there is no problem I couldn't bother you with".

While all four rabbits were cuddling, Nick got off his couch and started to shuffle in direction of the kitchen.

"Hey, foxy! Where are you going?" Evelin snickered over Judy's shoulder.

"Someplace where I'm not isolating your cute bunny even more from you", he muttered moping.

All rabbits paused at once, Clara looking rather shocked and even Evelin twitched nervously with her muzzle. Judy didn't say anything, but her ears were twitching a bit. Nick was near the door, letting his shoulders and tail droop, when Clara leaped off the couch and ran after him.

"H-Hey, Nick! I… I was just joking!" she stood in front of him with big pleading eyes.

"Yes. Of course", he indifferently patted her head and passed her slowly.

"But Nick…" Clara wasn't sure what to say or do and looked seeking for help from her siblings.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…" Ralph muttered, "That worked out different than originally planned".

While Evelin got off the couch and walked after Nick, too, Judy turned to Ralph: "What do you think would happen if you are going to insinuate such things?" – by now she was pretty sure that Nick was only acting – his heartbeat wasn't slow and sad, but more ' _playful'_. But she was totally fine with him having a tit-for-tat response for her cocky siblings and playing along with him.

Ralph just shrugged: "We thought that you would have said something up to this point of our dialog, so we just wanted to provoke a reaction. But it was not our intention to insult or hurt Nick, I promise!"

Evelin had caught up with Nick in the meantime. "Hey, foxy…" she said slowly, reaching with her paw for his arm. Nick stopped, not looking at her and still pouting. "We didn't mean to hurt you; it was meant as a joke but it totally backfired. Come down here, Nick…", she smiled encouraging and held her arms in his direction.

When Nick turned around, he squatted in front of her and Evelin immediately put her arms around his neck, hugging him gently. "I'm really sorry, Nick"

Nick, who was looking over her shoulder in Judy's direction, started to grin slyly and patted Evelin's back with a deep playful sigh. "I know, Eve…" – he watched Judy already rolling her eyes with a small grin as she could imagine what he was up to.

"Are you okay again, Nick?" Eve asked carefully, still hugging him.

He grabbed with one paw around her butt and with the other around her back, straighten up again and lifting her on his arm, whispering in her ear: "Sure, now after I caught myself a little dessert."

"Eeek!" – Evelin was startled for a short moment, then squeaked and struggled with her legs, laughing. "Dumb fox! Let me down!"

Clara and Ralph didn't realize what had happened but Judy giggled quietly and watched how Nick was carrying her struggling sister to the empty couch and carefully laid her down. When Evelin wanted to punch Nick on his shoulder, he grabbed her little fist and lowered his head with bared teeth, licking with his tongue over his lips.

"Tasty bunny…" he snarled, and Evelin was paralyzed from shock and just stared at those dangerous looking teeth heading for her throat.

"N-Nick…?" she whimpered quietly and in the next second Nick was smiling friendly without showing his teeth anymore.

"Yes, Eve?" Nick cocked his head and smiled at her with his big, innocent, green eyes.

It took another few seconds until Judy could hear how Ralph exhaled deeply and then started to laugh.

"Oh, you should have seen your eyes!" Judy giggled amused and walked over to Nick and Eve. Clara trudged back to Ralph, too, and sat beside him.

"Okay, never fool around with a predator again", she muttered and nudged Ralph with her elbow.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…" Evelin panted quietly. "I feel like… I have no idea how I feel!" she straightened up on the couch again, glancing to Nick. "I was quite sure that you weren't going to bite me", she smiled. "But I still felt like… like…" Eve took a deep breath and Judy snickered.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you are talking about, sis", she winked.

"Be glad, that I didn't have my kits right here on your couch!" Evelin replied her wink. "Wow… okay, I could use a shower now! Would you mind if Nick joins me?" she grinned.

"You already had your foxy-sample, I keep the rest of him for myself" Judy laughed.

"Okay, maybe _you_ can join me then? I need someone to help me with my back, I'm not as agile with this belly as before", Eve winked, got off the couch and pulled Judy on her paw along to the bathroom.

"I would have helped, too!" Nick shouted after them with a sly grin and both, Clara and Ralph, laughed.

"You gave me a real scare, Nick!" Clara pouted, but was grinning nevertheless.

"Aww, come on. You can dish it out but cannot take it on the chin?" he winked and sat beside her on the couch, putting his arm around Clara's shoulders.

Ralph was still snickering, "She is just green-eyed because you bared your teeth against Eve, as she is curious about that pred-prey-thing hersel… OUCH!" he laughed when Clara punched him hard on his arm, flashing her eyes at him.

"Is that so?" Nick grinned slyly, but then was thinking about how a big and cozy cheetah tries to growl dangerously and waves clumsily with his paws after a small rabbit – he suddenly winced on this mental image and took a big, long sip from his beer.

"But to take up the point you made earlier", Nick said after putting his empty glass down on the table again. "As generous as your offer is, that would be a lot of traveling for you just to support us with the kits".

"Not as much as you would think. You already travel to Bunnyburrow every two weeks on the weekends and one or two of us would just accompany you to Zootopia and back to Bunnyburrow. Also there are so many volunteers among the family, that each of us would only come here every few weeks or even months. If we are helping out our siblings for a few days in a burrow on the other side of Bunnyburrow or here in Zootopia, there really isn't a big difference. As long as you still have a guestroom for us to stay, there will be no problem at all!" Ralph was explaining and Clara nodded from time to time approving.

Nick smiled softly, noticeably emotional. "Already planned all of this, didn't you? You are really some great friends!"

"Even better", Clara winked and nudged him with her elbow. "We are one family! And that's just how things work between ourselves. Bunnies are great at logistics, you know", she winked.

* * *

"It would be much easier if you just join me in the shower, Juju", Evelin laughed. She was standing inside the shower with running water and Judy stood before the shower-door, massaging her sisters back with some shampoo, stretching her arms and watching out to don't get wet herself.

"You really have no shame, do you?" Judy giggled nervously, her muzzle twitching slightly.

"Oh, come on. We saw each other and all of our siblings naked dozens of times! Why should I be ashamed in front of _you_ , sis?"

"That was a few years ago, we were kits back then…" Judy muttered.

Evelin suddenly turned around and posed with her head cocked and a paw put on her waist. "I don't think that I have changed very much since then", she smiled slyly – "Okay, besides my slightly larger belly now".

Judy smiled awkwardly, her inner ears turned bright red by now. "You look really fantastic and beautiful as always, sis. It's just that I… we…" Judy gestured nervously with her paws – "We are now adults and not kits anymore! You cannot be naked in front of others willy-nilly!"

"Why not? I'm quite confident about my body and feel comfortable even naked", she grinned. "I find it rather funny that you are such a prude but at the same time having your little pred-prey-games with your foxy".

Judy put her paw in front of her mouth. "Eve!"

Evelin laughed and took a step to the back, the water now running over her head, ears and back. "Come on, make a photo of me for Sven. Just to make sure he will miss me even more this weekend".

"What!? You are joking, right?" Judy looked genuinely shocked.

"Absolutely not, sis" Evelin chuckled. "Aren't you teasing Nick from time to time with some dirty messages or photos?"

"No!" Judy wished the ground would open and swallow her up.

"You're a drag", Eve snickered – "Come on, taking a photo of me for Sven will not kill you."

Judy hesitatingly pulled her phone out of her pocket while Evelin was already posing naughtily again, the water dripping over her head and her ear over one side to her shoulder. It took Judy a few tries to make a sharp photo without jerking and breathed deeply.

"Okay, here you go. But I'm not sending it to Sven from my phone!" Judy winked.

Evelin snickered and stepped to the border of the shower, "Let me see it, sis!"

Judy sighed and stepped up to her, turning the phone screen around for Eve to see. But when she was in range, Evelin grabbed her sister suddenly and dragged her fully-clothed into the shower. Judy shrieked surprised and tried to get hold of the shower-door, but it was already too late and a short moment later she was standing beside Evelin, the water running down all over her head and soaking her clothes. Evelin laughed furiously when she noticed the abashed look on her sister's face, taking a photo of it immediately with the phone she had captured moments ago.

"Very funny. Ha. Ha", – Judy just stood there, fiercely flashing her eyes at her sister.

"Sorry, Juju", Evelin was still laughing hysterically. "But that's just a sight for sore eyes". She put the phone on a soap tray and tried to grab Judy's shirt at the bottom. "Come on, now you'd may as well pull off those clothes and join me in the shower as I suggested before", she giggled and Judy let Eve reluctantly help to undress her.

"Dumb rabbit", she muttered, still somewhat embarrassed.

* * *

Nick, Ralph and Clara were browsing the photo album Judy had made when the two other sisters joined them again.

"Ah, finished your shower finally?", Nick smiled and Judy crawled on his lap, cuddling him tightly without saying a word while Eve was still giggling quietly and sat down on the couch, too. Nick raised his eyebrows and fondled Judy's neck and back. "What have you done to my bunny?" he asked worried but Evelin just shrugged with a grin.

"We just showered together, more or less voluntarily", Eve winked while Ralph and Clara started to snicker.

"Judy showering together with another rabbit? You are really unbending today!" Clara grinned.

"She just dragged me under the shower while I was still fully dressed!" Judy muttered pouting into Nick's chest.

"Aww, my poor little rabbit", he patted her head but grinned. "I wish I had seen this!"

Judy punched him halfheartedly and Nick, snickering, gave her a kiss between her ears.

"I discussed with Ralph and Clara that as we are already celebrating together in the Hollow Bar tomorrow, we could relax at home tonight. We thought about a movie night and a board game party, what do you two think?" Nick suggested, still crawling Judy's ears.

"Great idea! Movies and board games also go well with pizza", Evelin clapped her hands. "This way nobody has to prepare dinner and we can all just have some fun!"

Judy had straightened up again in the meantime and took a small pill together with a large sip from her glass. "Sounds good to me, too" she smiled and tried not to turn a hair.

"Your chest again?" Nick whispered into her ear while the other rabbits were discussing what movie to start with. Judy nodded slowly, leaning against his upper body with a quiet sigh.

"Just give me a few minutes until the pill takes effect and I'm fine again" she smiled at him, tilting her head back. Nick gave her a soft kiss, feeling sorry that he could do nothing more to ease her pain.

Their first film was 'A Night at The Pawspurry', a rather old movie Nick had as a DVD and none of the rabbits knew: Some wealthy dogs named Steve and Doug enjoy frequenting nightclubs and fail miserably at picking up woman. Their dream is to party at the Pawspurry, a fabled nightclub where they are continually denied entrance by a bulldog bouncer, and hope to open their own club. An auto accident with a famous wolf and film-star gives them a foot in the door. Inside, they meet the club's owner, and two gold-diggers believe they are wealthy businessmen: Vivica, a Supermodel and Russian Wolfhound, and her friend Cambi try to work the Pawspurry Guys for their money; only to find out the pair is broke. Steve finds his father shoving him into marriage with the next-door neighbor, a poodle named Emily, but Doug keeps this from happening. Fortune smiles, and the two brothers become the co-owners of a new nightclub.

It was a hilarious but also quite disturbing 90 minutes of a movie – but with some good old music – and everyone had a lot of fun, Judy even taking another painkiller pill because the laughing made her chest hurt.

"Wow, those two head-bobbing losers really got a date in the end and their dream came true. That's even more unrealistic since those cartoon-musicals", Judy giggled.

"Yeah, and what two bombshells they are. One even working for the police. Hey, Nicky…" – Evelin grinned, "Was that movie some kind of plan or template for your relationship?"

"Are you suggesting me as a bombshell?", Judy asked snorting.

" _All I was hearing when I first saw you was 'Beeew, Beeew, Beeew', the ambulance came and took me away, 'cos the sight of you stopped my heart_ ", Nick quoted grinning.

Judy rolled her eyes: " _Can you believe I actually had sex with this sucker?_ "

"Actually", Clara giggled, "I could imagine him after he scored within 23 seconds, running out of the room and high-fiving his success.

"That's rather unfair", Nick smiled slyly. "Even if it only took half a minute, there would be no chance I would run outside immediately" – and when Clara looked questioningly with a grin, he turned to Judy: "You really never mentioned our ' _mandatory cuddling time_ ' to them?"

Judy's inner-ears tuned into some shade of red while the other rabbits were watching her closely.

"We will talk about that later", Evelin winked. "Okay, we still have time for another film. What about 50 Shades of Prey?" – Ralph laughed silently but Clara and Judy just looked at her in shock.

"S-Sorry, I don't think we have this movie in our library", Judy muttered.

"Only because, I'm not allowed to buy it. I've been curious for quite a while what all the fuss is about this movie", Nick muttered.

"Oh, I bet Ben will lend it to you!", Clara shouted but regretted it immediately.

"Ben?", Evelin and Nick were both watching her closely with a sly grin.

"We will talk about that later, too", Evelin promised with a wink.

They opened the electronic streaming archive of their cable provider and browsed through the available movies. The action movies were declined by the women, the romantic ones by the boys. It was Evelin's choice that decided the second movie: 'Cruel Intentions' – a movie Judy didn't protest against as she didn't know it yet:

Kathryn – a female puma – and Sebastian – a male cheetah – are seductive, manipulative step-siblings who get what they want, when they want it. Kathryn makes a bet with her step-brother: He must bed Annette, the doe and daughter of their school's headmaster, before the end of summer break. Annette has stated in a magazine that she would wait until love and marriage to sleep with another mammal. If Kathryn wins, she gets Sebastian's vintage Porsche. If Sebastian wins, he gets Kathryn – the only mammal he knows he'll never have. Also in play is Cecile, a naïve rabbit whose mother had enlisted Kathryn to help her fit in at her new school. However, Kathryn (with Sebastian's help) plans to ruin Cecile's reputation as revenge on Kat's ex-boyfriend, who left her for Cecile.

Calling the movie suggestive would be a large understatement; a lot of scenes caused Judy to wince in embarrassment while the others just snickered, if at all. The rather sad end made our police-bunny shake her head.

"This Kathryn is such a manipulative beast!", Judy rebelled. "And that's why drugs are banned!", she winked.

"Oh, she wasn't a manipulative, sex-crazed puma just because of the drugs, Juju", Evelin declared. "And you really didn't know of this movie before? It's one of the first one's addressing inter-species-sex after the big taboo was raised 20 years ago!"

"Showing Cecile as a naïve little rabbit was rather unfair!" Judy pouted, "This prejudice is even enforced."

"Oh, the only enforced part is the sex in Part Three of the movie between the gazelle and the wolf, as far as I remember", Evelin frowned thoughtfully.

"Are you joking!?" Judy stared at her.

"Well, it's kind of enforced: The gazelle has a boyfriend but is blackmailed with pictures the wolf made while she was having a one-night-stand with a tiger…"

"Okay, we are not watching this movie now, too! I have to assimilate this first part first", Judy rolled her eyes and leaned against Nick – and recoiled at once with a terrified look at the small bulge in his lap. The fox didn't say anything, but they both re-positioned quickly. With little success, as she could still hear his excited heartbeat.

"I think in the end Kathryn got what she deserved, and Sebastian sacrificing himself for Annette is indeed really sad, but how Annette is on his side afterwards and ensured that everyone learned about his step-sister's real nature, is just poetic justice. Even with Cecile playing a naïve rabbit, I like her role. Oh, and she definitively seems to have fun with the cheetah", Clara said.

Judy and Nick exchanged a look on that last sentence, then looked back to Clara with a big, sly grin.

"You have to know it", Nick winked at Clara who suddenly got a sheepish look herself, attracting Evelin's attention.

"What are you talking about?", she asked curiously.

"Nothing!" Clara declared with a death stare, throwing another pillow to a grinning Nick and Judy. Before it could hit the rabbit's chest, Nick put his arm around her, blocking it and turning his head to Clara with an urging voice:

"Please, be a bit more careful. You know, her broken ribs are really painful".

"Okay, I would suggest that we order some pizza now and after that we could still play some games. What do you think?", Ralph eagerly rubbed his belly. "I have to admit, I'm quite hungry again."

Nick got off the couch, fetching some prospects for delivery services. He also brought some pencils and sticky notes, putting them on the table – ' _for later'_ , he stated. They studied the menu and decided on two big family pizza's, both with mixed toppings.

"And what should we do while we wait for them to be delivered?", Judy asked the group.

"This is what I brought the sticky notes for", Nick winked. "We write the name of any mammal – real or fictional – on a note without you seeing what we are writing. Then we stick it on your forehead and you have to guess with yes/no questions who you are! If we have to answer with 'yes', you can ask another question, otherwise it's the next Mammal's turn. Of course, we write small notes for everyone…"

"Sounds funny!", Evelin grinned and grabbed some sticky notes. "And I already have a perfect idea for you…" – she wrote something on a note and applied it to Clara's forehead: 'MOM' – resulting in quite some giggling within the others.

"OK, I'm next!", Ralph took the notices, wrote 'Nick' on it and applied it to Nick's forehead, resulting in much more giggling and an irritated look by the fox.

"Fine, but then I'm next", Nick said and applied a sticky note to Evelin's head, reading 'Judy', which caused non-stop giggling.

"Oh dear…", Evelin said with a grin but then applied a note to Judy's head reading ' _Cecile_ '. Last one was Judy, who applied a note with 'Gideon' on Ralph's forehead. As they were all sitting in a circle and looking at each other with a grin, Evelin snickered: "That will be funny!"

"The youngest rabbit begins", Nick winked, looking to Evelin.

"Well, am I a rabbit?" – "Yes, you are", the fox answered.

"Female?" – some laughing by the others, "Yepp".

"One of the Hopps' family?" – "Yes!", Ralph replied.

"Single?" – "No, sorry", Ralph snickered.

"OK, who is next? Clara!", Evelin stated.

"Me? Well… I'm a prey?" – "Yes", Nick nodded.

"Rabbit?" – "Oh yes", a few snickered.

"Female?" – "Yepp", Judy said.

"Married?" – "Definitely!", Evelin snickered.

Clara gasped: "Am I pregnant?" – that caused a moment of silence and the others were facing each other. "Uhm…", Evelin replied thoughtfully, "Not as far as we know!" – Clara stopped short and Ralph was next:

"Obvious question first, am I a rabbit?" – "No!", most others giggled and Ralph furrowed.

"Nick, you're next", Judy grinned and the fox looked thoughtfully.

"I'm not a rabbit, right?" – "Correct, foxy", Evelin answered.

"Am I a predator?" – "Not really, but as a species… yes", Judy grinned.

"Oh, great. I'm a winey fox, right?", Nick rolled his eyes and all others laughed: "Yes".

"Well, you don't know too many foxes… am I good looking?", he grinned. "That's a very subjective question, foxtrot" Judy said and Evelin added: "You are not a scarecrow, but also not as good looking as you are thinking yourself".

Nick sighed, "I hate to be myself…"

The others giggled and removed the notice from Nick's head. "Congratulations, sly fox", Judy gave him a quick kiss and grinned.

"You can go next, carrots", he winked.

"Rabbit?" – "Yes", Ralph grinned.

"Female?" – "Definitely", Clara added.

"Hopps?" – "Meep, sorry", Evelin grinned and was next to ask the next question again:

"Well, I'm a female Hopps' rabbit that is married… pregnant?" – "Yepp", Ralph grinned.

"Having birthday in a few hours?" – Judy grinned and nodded.

"Aww, I always wanted to be you!", Evelin giggled and took the note from her head.

"Okay, I am a female, married rabbit and you don't think that I'm pregnant", Clara continued. "Hopps' family?" – "Definitely!", Evelin snickered.

"Older than Evelin?" – "Yes", Judy nodded.

"Okay, that leaves it to Jana and Jane – as I'm definitely not married myself and Judy is pregnant" – "Sorry, dear. None of them", Ralph shrugged his shoulders and grinned.

"I'm still a bit clueless… only knowing I'm no rabbit. Am I a predator than?", Ralph asked curious. "Yes, you are", Judy nodded with a grin.

"Lucky shot… a fox?" – "Good guess, yes, you are!", Clara giggled.

"Nick's mother?" – Nick's face was a dead pan but the others were hysterically laughing: "No, definitely not!"

Judy sighed, "Okay… I'm a female rabbit, but not from the Hopps family. There are not a lot of rabbits outside the family we are all knowing by name. Am I a fictional character?" – "Yes, my little innocent carrot, you are", Nick grinned.

Judy thought for a while, then widened her eyes: "You didn't, did you?"

"Did what?", Evelin snickered.

"What was the naïve little rabbit in the movie called again? Cecile!" – Judy pouted when the others clapped their paws and slowly removed her notice. "I'm no naïve little rabbit!", she muttered.

"OK, I'm next again. But I'm at a loss currently… female, married Hopps rabbit, older than Evelin, most likely not pregnant and neither Jana nor Jane. But there are no other Hopps rabbits other than… oh… OH! That's nasty! I'm Mom, right?", Clara looked indignant but then started to laugh.

"Well, that leaves me as the last one… I'm a fox, but not Nick's mother! Is Judy pregnant from me?" he grinned, resulting in broad laughter from Evelin and Clara, and a dumb look from Judy and Nick.

"OK, most probably not…", Ralph muttered with a grin. "But I would guess then, that I'm Gideon", he winked and a still laughing Evelin removed his note from his forehead.

"Another round until the pizza arrives?" Judy suggested and they allocated new notices to everybody again.

* * *

They interrupted their game when the pizza arrived half an hour later and shared the different types of toppings amongst themselves. Most slices of the pizzas were eaten by Evelin and Judy, closely followed by Nick. But even his hunger was nothing compared to that of two pregnant bunnies. Ralph and Clara were already content with two big slices and sharing the third one.

After their dinner, Nick disappeared into the kitchen for half an hour while the rabbits were talking about all kinds of different things, browsing through the photo album Judy made, touching and caressing Evelin's pregnant belly, talking further about the idea of some siblings visiting Judy and Nick for a week in the future to watch after their kits. Judy really loved the idea, but would have never suggested it on her own.

Just as they were getting unsettled and Judy wanted to shout for Nick, the fox entered the living room again with a large tablet and five big cocktail glasses with colorful content and decoration.

"I thought I could try to be creative again", he winked. "One virgin caipirinha for Evelin and a safer Sex on the beach for carrots … a Long Island Ice Tea for Clara and a Tequila Sunrise for Ralph", he put the drinks in front of them and took a Sex on the beach for himself. "I worked at a small Cocktail Bar on the Sahara Strip for a while a few years ago, hopefully I didn't forget too much", he winked.

They clinked their glasses with best wishes for the soon-to-be mothers and for their upcoming birthday and that they managed to all have this great evening together. After everyone took a few sips from their drink, Nick was showered with honors. They started another game: Munchkin, with the pirate and zombie extension:

Munchkin is a dedicated deck card game that has a humorous take on role-playing games. All players start at level 1 with the goal of reaching level 10. Players primarily progress by killing monsters, and level up every time they kill a monster. However, players can freely use cards against monsters and other players during play, allowing them to either assist or to sabotage others during their turn. Due to the highly competitive nature of the game and the presence of rule-breaking cards, players are encouraged to use unfair tactics against others, to act mercilessly to further themselves at the expense of others, or to use cheat cards to affect outcomes (such as fixing the roll of the die).

You could think that the nature of the game was cut out for Nick, but the bunnies turned out to be even more shifty and sneaky than the fox. It was a long and sharp contest, but Evelin won the first round – together with Judy, playing the card ' _Enough brain for two_ '. Of course, Nick was seeking revenge, and demanded that the winner of two out of three games would decide what game to play next. A bad decision as it turned out: He tried to sabotage Evelin's achievements, but just to tease him all others were supporting her and keeping Nick on low levels while Evelin was soon winning again.

"How humiliating to lose, of all the games, this one as a fox!" he sighed, but smiled and shook Evelin's paw. "Congratulations, sly bunny!"

"So, I get to decide the next game?", Evelin slyly grinned while they all bundled the cards of Munchkin back together.

"I guess so. Something special on your mind?", Ralph asked, sipping on his Tequila Sunrise, already feeling a bit dizzy.

"You bet", Evelin winked. "Let's play truth or dare!"

Judy groaned quietly, she always happened to be Evelin's victim on this game. Ralph and Clara were a bit too enthusiastic, and Nick made a mental note to reduce the alcoholic parts of their cocktails the next time.

"Fine with me, I have nothing to hide", Nick winked and added to his mental note some reduced alcohol for his own drink, too.

"We will see, foxy!", Evelin winked and searched for something that could be used as a bottle or spinning needle. She finally took a carrot from a basket, bit off the green bunch of foliage and gave the small carrot a test-spin on the table. "Perfect! And as you lost the last game, you may begin the new one", she winked at Nick.

"Let's see…", Nick gave the carrot a powerful spin and it landed on Clara.

"Oh, that was sooo obvious!" she giggled, "Okay I choose 'Dare' – didn't drink enough for the truth, yet", she winked.

Nick smirked, "You have to pretend to be a snake and wiggle over our floor for a minute."

Clara got off the couch, wiggling over the floor without using her arms and legs, just moving her body back and forth. When she finished, she stuck out her head at the table and hissed at Nick with a grin, resulting in even more laughter.

"Okay, so I'm next!", she declared and gave the carrot another spin – the vegetable pointed to Judy, who immediately declared ' _truth_ '. "Well, bunny-cop…", Clara winked at her, "Did you ever steal some money from your brothers, sisters or parents?"

"No! Of course not!", Judy pouted indignantly, then spun the carrot. When it pointed to Nick she grinned: "Truth or Dare, foxtrot?"

Nick thought for a moment, "I'll play it safe with you being in charge…", he raised his eyebrows with a wink. "Dare!"

"Okay, then you have to hop around the table like a real rabbit", Judy winked and Nick got off the couch and making some halfhearted jumps. "No, no, no! No rabbit is jumping like this! Make it… smooth!"

While the others were already laughing, Nick squatted, slowly shook his butt and tail, then leaped about twenty centimeters ahead, landing again with squatted legs. He repeated that for about two minutes until he finally completed going around the whole table and let himself fall tired on the couch. "That's really exhausting!" He slowly grabbed the carrot and spun it – and it landed on Evelin.

"Truth", she said sweetly.

"Mh…", Nick thought for a moment. "On which piece of furniture did you make love on the last time?"

Judy breathed sharply, Ralph and Clara giggled but Evelin and Nick were just smiling slyly at each other, without flinching.

"While swimming in the pool at our parent's house", she said nonchalantly, already spinning the carrot again, it now pointing to Judy. "Truth or dare, sis?"

Judy had wide eyes and wasn't sure what to do: "Dare, just to be sure."

Evelin smiled: "You will have to eat a piece of chocolate" – Judy already smiled relieved, then Evelin continued: "After Clara had licked on it!"

"What?!", Judy stared at her sister.

"You've already had a lot of other things in your mouth, I'm sure. Let's just begin with this chocolate for now", Evelin winked.

Clara was already licking on a bar of chocolate and held it to Judy who sighed and ate it finally. "You will be sorry for that, sis", Judy flashed her eyes at Evelin, who just giggled.

When she spun the carrot, it landed on Ralph who was still giggling and chose 'Truth': "When did you last kiss another rabbit?"

"Today at the station, I kissed you as a welcome!", he grinned and Judy rolled her eyes.

"Kissed another rabbit in a sexual way!", she added.

"Oh, that would be just before we left Bunnyburrow this morning. I gave Mel a kiss goodbye", he winked and took the carrot, spinning it quite powerfully. When it landed on Evelin again, she said 'Truth' again and Ralph thought about a question. "Hm… as you and Judy share nearly everything, have you also seen Nick naked yet?"

Her answer was quick and unexpected: "Yes" – Ralph and Clara both looked surprised, Judy rolled her eyes and Nick snickered quietly.

"Would you like to … explain this?", Ralph suggested curiously.

"On the day I came for a visit to tell Judy that I'm going to get married, he was clearly not expecting any visitors and stood naked in the living room". Evelin winked at the fox while Ralph and Clara snickered even more.

"Did you like what you saw?" Clara asked grinning, but Evelin shook her head.

"Only one question per turn, sis", she winked and spun the carrot. When it pointed to Clara, the rabbit quietly said 'truth'. Evelin started to grin widely: "Do you currently have a girl- or boyfriend here in Zootopia?"

"I...", Clara started nervously, her muzzle twitching furiously. "I-I… don't know if you can already call him that. We are just friends and currently learning more about each other", Clara took a – dangerously big – sip from her cocktail and rubbed her ears nervously between her paws.

Ralph had to nudge her with a grin to remember her that she now was spinning the carrot. It landed on Judy.

"Truth…", Judy grinned.

"How many bunnies have you seen naked – excluding our family?", Clara grinned at her.

"I-I…", she spoke with a stammer and quickly took a sip from her – unfortunately – non-alcoholic cocktail. "E-Excluding all of our family… no others", her voice dropped to little more than a whisper. Evelin and Clara giggled while Ralph was looking at his sister with a soft smile.

"I don't think that's a bad thing, sis. Don't mind your jealous sisters, you found your prince charming nevertheless", Ralph winked.

Judy smiled thankfully and spun the carrot – pointing it to Ralph.

"Truth!", he said with a smile.

"How many litters do you have planned with Mel?", Judy asked.

"We are currently having three, but Mel and I agreed that we want at least five. But probably not more than seven. Still working on number four", he winked and the others giggled.

When he spun the carrot and it landed on Nick, the fox decided for the 'truth' and Ralph asked: "Earlier this evening you referred to mandatory cuddle time while we were watching 'A Night at the Pawspurry' – I think now is the perfect time for you to explain that", he winked.

Nick looked a bit surprised and his ears straightened up. When he shared a quick look with Judy, her looks were telling him "You maneuvered yourself into this, now live with it!"

"Well…", he started while rubbing his neck and taking a big sip from his Sex on the Beach. "It's just some … anatomical fox thing."

"We are all ears", Evelin grinned widely while Ralph and Clara giggled quietly. Judy wished, she could drink at least one glass of wine or take a large sip of any cocktail. The following explanation would be embarrassing and she had not even told Evelin about it until now.

"While our…", Nick took a deep breath and started again. "When a fox is on the brink of … finishing his sexual act, his … you know, penis… swells considerably".

"Shouldn't it swell _before_ you start?", Clara giggled.

"No… Yes… I mean, it becomes erect, of course. But the later swelling prevents the fox from becoming loose directly after. Both partners stay connected and have to wait for… the swelling to go away. It's something in our biology, I cannot do anything against it. And as it lasts for 20-30 minutes, we just call it our ' _mandatory cuddle time_ '". When Nick finished, his fur was even more red than usual and the rabbits – except Judy – were grinning widely at him.

"I wish we could introduce this for male rabbits, too!", Evelin snickered and Clara nodded laughing:

"Yes, that would make things way more romantic!"

Before they could talk even more about the subject, Nick spun the carrot on the table. When it pointed to Judy, she sighed and made a short gesture with her paw: "Dare".

Nick smiled softly, "Don't worry. I will be merciful to you… just show us the last pictures on your phone". While Judy was fumbling in her pockets for the phone, Evelin started to laugh hysterically. As Nick was thinking about the pictures they made in the park yesterday, he didn't quite understand what was so funny. It also took Judy a few seconds: When she couldn't find her phone in her pockets, it was like she was struck by lightning.

"I think it's still on the soap tray in your shower, Juju…", Evelin winked helpfully and Nick raised his eyebrows.

Judy got off the couch, quickly walked to the bathroom and when she returned she stared on the phone screen, browsing through the last pictures from today. "No way!" she pressed the screen against her body and her muzzle and inner ears had a light-red color.

"Come on, you cannot chicken out!" Evelin giggled and just when Judy wanted to argue with her, Nick quickly grabbed the phone from her paw and grinned.

"It couldn't be worse than my last confession, so just let me see…" – he stopped midsentence when he browsed through the first two pictures Evelin had made of her after she had undressed Judy completely under the shower. Those were definitely the first pictures of adult Judy naked he had ever seen. Nick browsed to the next picture and saw Judy's abashed face while standing fully-clothed under the shower. Another swipe with his paw and he coughed nervously, covering the screen immediately with his paw and looking embarrassed first to Judy, then to Evelin. "That… turned in a complete different direction than I intended, I swear!", he stuttered and put the phone with the display down on the table.

Ralph and Clara tried to grab it at the same time, but already being too dizzy, Clara missed and Ralph got hold of the phone. When he turned the display back on, he saw the kinky photo of Evelin posing in the shower and raised his eyebrows. "Nice one, Eve!", he smiled. "But I like the one with the smiley on your belly made of foam from last week even more". He browsed through the other pictures and had to laugh on Judy's abashed look, fully clothed. "You misunderstood the concept of a shower, sis", he winked. Another swipe and he saw the picture of Judy standing naked in the shower, but without any posing. "A little less belly and not as confident in her posing as Eve, but you sure still look as beautiful as I would have imagined". Clara, who was looking over his shoulder, gaped: "Wow, you really have some trained abs and leg muscles, Ju! But you should train your posture, you're posing like a sack of spuds, not the sexy bunny you are! Oh, I really envy your slender waist!"

Judy was looking defeated and even a bit reproachful to Nick.

"Sorry, carrots…?", he tried not to giggle and put his arm around her shoulders. "But to be fair, those are some really beautiful photos of you and definitely nothing to be ashamed of", he gave her a lovingly kiss and Judy smiled a bit.

"Thanks…"

Beep-Beep … Nick's phone was quietly notifying some incoming messages and Evelin grinned, having Judy's phone in her paws. "Don't worry, I send them to you for later admiration". Judy grabbed her phone protesting while Nick was laughing together with Clara and Ralph. Seconds later, his phone notified him about another message. He turned his head to Judy who was holding her phone again and smiled slyly.

"I hope you don't worry that I send him yours, too. I think it's only fair, after everyone else but him already had a close look".

When Judy wanted to intimidate Evelin with this, it didn't work. Her sister was just starting to laugh: "Oh, Juju. If anyone of you wants to admire my body, you don't have to rely on a photo. You could have just asked…" – and with this words she took off her shirt, revealing her white bra she undid in a second.

Nick didn't say anything, just stared at the half-naked bunny that was sitting opposite him. Even Judy couldn't answer and just looked at Evelin with a slightly open mouth, not sure how to react. It took a few seconds, then Eve stood up from the couch. She walked up to her sister, putting her arms around her neck, then leaning in to kiss her… twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, …

When Evelin leaned back again and grinned to Judy, the other rabbit's face was a mess of emotions – but Nick was sure, it pleased her! – and Evelin whispered not-too-quiet, crawling over her cheeks: "Happy Birthday, Juju!"

It took Nick a few more seconds to break his looks away and searched for the wall-clock: It was exactly one minute after midnight, Evelin's timing was perfect. He walked up to Clara and Ralph, hugging each of them eagerly and with a wide smile – wishing them both happy birthday. Evelin had dressed her shirt again by now and hugged Ralph and Clara, too. Nick walked in the meantime up to Judy, who had somewhat recovered from Evelin's act, hugged her carefully and gave her an affectionate kiss: "Happy Birthday, carrots. May all your wishes come true!"

* * *

They played for about two more hours, but around 1 o'clock Ralph and Clara were already too tired to pay full attention. The cocktails weren't extremely strong, but enough for small rabbits – Nick would have his eyes on them tomorrow when they were in the Hollow Bar. Even when it was unlikely, he didn't want to risk that any of the rabbits was taken advantage of while drunk.

After the other litter-siblings were sleeping in the guest bed, Nick insisted on Evelin sleeping with Judy in their bedroom and he would just sleep on the couch. When the rabbits said good-night to him, and all lights were off, he already regretted his decision. Even when Judy was just a few meters away, he now had to sleep alone. But it was okay, he tried to persuade himself – her scent was still ever-present. He just had to close his eyes and think about something different…

Judy was sitting on her bed, together with Evelin. They were both still talking and giggling about the last hours. After a while, Judy got off the bed and first undressed, then pulled over a nightgown, much to Evelin's amusement.

"You are really wearing such a thing at night?" she giggled.

"Only when I'm sleeping alone or in the same bed with someone other than Nick", Judy winked at her.

Evelin rolled her eyes and got off the bed herself. After she undressed, she looked around but obviously couldn't find a nightgown in her own bag. While Judy was crawling on the bed again, Eve suddenly saw something to pull over…

"What by the green carrot you doing?" Judy stared laughing at Evelin, who had pulled over Judy's police uniform top and was just closing her utility belt over her naked waist.

"I'm Judy Hopps and I'm making the world a better place!", Evelin imitated Judy's voice really convincingly while jumping onto the bed. Judy was still laughing and Evelin grinned at her. "And you are a really bad rabbit!"

"I don't think so", Judy held her stomach still laughing and stuck out her tongue to her younger sister. "You on the other side are arrogating the rights of a police officer when wearing this uniform. Better get it off or I have to eventually arrest you", Judy giggled.

"Arrest me… with those?", Evelin spun one end of the handcuffs around her finger and winked.

"Exactly!" – Judy tried to leap forward and grab the handcuffs from Evelin, but her sister was faster; and when Judy landed on the bed again, her left paw was already handcuffed. "Hey! That's not fair!"

"You're right… here, have the key…", Evelin smiled and handed her the closed paw. When Judy tried to grab for it, Evelin held her tight and within seconds handcuffed her other paw. Evelin giggled: "Being a cop is easier than I thought".

"You're not a cop, you're just a mean little sister!", Judy smiled with a chuckle. "Okay, well played. Now give me the key so we can both go to bed, Eve".

"Oh, come on… I'm just starting to have some fun!", she snickered.

"Eve!" – Judy urged her but her sister was already pulling Judy's handcuffed arms over her head and hung them up on one of the bedpost.

"Just admit, that you liked our kiss earlier, and I will let you go", Evelin winked, squatting over Judy's body, but her sister just laughed.

"That would please you, wouldn't it? Nope, I was just …. caught by surprise, that's all!"

"Oh, that's just too bad. Maybe I have to… convince you further", she started to slowly pull up Judy's nightgown and eventually kissed her belly.

"Eve!", Judy urged her again, but less earnestly now.

"What in the dickens is going on?" Nick entered the bedroom with sleepy eyes, then watched puzzled between Judy and Evelin.

"Just a police interrogation?" Evelin suggested with a naughty smile, still having Judy's uniform top on.

"Nick! Could you please help me and release my paws?" Judy sighed with relief when she saw her fox. With a shake of his head Nick approached them both, searching for the keys for the handcuffs on his utility belt. When he started to open Judy's handcuffs, Evelin grinned and put her paw on her side.

"How boring, that opened up so many possibilities. But you always have to be her knight in shining armor!"

When Judy's paws were finally free again, she gave Nick a kiss on his cheek and smiled, while taking the handcuffs. "Thank you, foxtrot."

"You are welcome, carrots", he chuckled.

"That could have been a really fun night, Juju", Evelin winked at her.

Judy hugged her smiling, patting her on the back. "I'm sorry, but you really have to undress this uniform…" – within a second she had handcuffed Evelin's paws behind her back and nudged her back onto the bed with a sly grin.

The younger rabbit was first surprised, but when laying on the bed with her paws handcuffed behind her back, she grinned. "I don't think so, it's really comfy! And I don't think you have the guts to force-undress me…" she winked with a wide grin.

Judy posed beside the bed, smiling slyly. "Maybe you are right, but there are ways and means…" – she turned around to Nick and smiled as sweet as sugar: "Darling, I wonder whether you could handle that for me?"

Nick snickered and turned around to Evelin who was looking at them with big eyes. When Nick kneeled over her body, she smiled – but less confidently than before. "Don't you dare, foxy! Your wife is watching", she winked – but Nick just shrugged and quickly undressed her, opening only one handcuff at a time to retrieve the arm from the uniform, then handcuffing her again.

"As good as new, carrots", Nick smiled and held the uniform back to Judy.

"She still has those photos of me on her phone… I think you should convince her to delete them again, don't you?" Judy smiled smugly and Nick nodded with a smile.

When he turned around to Evelin, he slowly let his claws come from his paws and crawled over her body. "We two have something to discuss… darling…"

The moment he reached her thighs, she winced and said terrified: "You don't have to do that!"

He slowly grabbed both her tights, whispering: "Maybe. But don't worry, I will be gentle…. less or more!", lowering his sharp teeth with his tongue slowly licking over his lips, whispering quietly: "Carrots…"

* * *

When Judy blinked slowly, she felt that her fur was soaked with sweat and she heard her own heart palpitating like crazy. Her whole body was shivering, one of her paws crawling over her chest, the other one between her legs. ' _Carrots…_ ' – she heard Nick's voice again, sounding sore and begging. Yes, she wanted him to do it, her whole body was shaking again…

The fox was still carefully shaking her on the shoulder and finally she slowly seemed to wake up, blinking a few more times.

"W-What…?" she breathed shallow.

"You are dreaming, carrots… and whatever it is you were dreaming, you are driving me totally crazy for the last half-an-hour!"

Judy was still not fully aware what happened, just regretting to be half-awake now. "Just do it, Nick…" – she moaned silently with pleasure.

Nick closed his eyes, breathing deeply and trying to ignore his bunny's scent right now. "You are still dreaming, Judy!", he whimpered quietly and eventually decided to bite her gently into her ears.

With a moan of pleasure and pain, Judy winced and her eyes finally blinked awakened. When she eventually realized that she had only dreamed the whole scene and was still pleasuring herself right now, she straightened herself embarrassed in bed with a start, grimacing because of the sudden pain that whitewashed all pleasant feelings.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…", she panted quietly, holding her chest in pain and all kind of strange images were dashing through her mind. She now remembered, that Evelin was sleeping with her siblings in the guestroom, not with her in this bed. And she had never thought of being together with Nick and her at the same time before now! What kind of strange dream was that?!

"Carrots…?", Nick spoke quietly, sounding worried and very concentrated; he was sitting beside her in their bed. She turned around startled, starring at her fox like he was still a part of her dream that didn't vanished.

"Are you really there?", she put her paws on his muzzle and stroked him softly, then smiled when he didn't vanish. But Nick's pupils dilated, he took a long and deep sniff with his nose and wheezed groveling. Judy's chest pain was slowly eclipsed again by the backwash of her dream and Nick's current reaction of her scent; she grinned slyly, crawling along his neck and back, alternating between nibbling and kissing him fondly, until Nick finally lost the last vestiges of self-control and eventually threw her onto the bed. The dull pain and blazing pleasure made her shiver and moan again.

It was nearly half an hour later when they both were cuddling together, panting exhausted. Judy kept a stiff upper lip despite her chest pain, that was vaguely throbbing, but it was nearly covered by all other feelings.

"I hope the reality could live up to whatever you were dreaming, carrots", Nick whispered quietly, stroking her head and ears. Judy winced embarrassed and avoided looking in his direction. "Judy? Is everything okay?" The rabbit nodded slowly and Nick didn't probe any further.

"Nick?", she finally whispered insecurely.

"What is it, carrots? You can talk with me about anything, I will neither laugh nor adjudge you. Promise". He smilingly gave her a soft kiss between her ears and she snuggled even tighter against his chest.

"That was such a strange dream…"

"Well, maybe strange things are teasing you?", he snickered. "At least, you married _me_!"

She giggled and crawled over his chest. "You are as normal as a mayflower compared to this dream."

"Just forget about it, then… or you may tell me about it, just to get it out of your mind."

"Well, it started when we all decided to go to bed, and you offered to sleep on the couch so Evelin could sleep with me in our bed."

"That's exactly what I suggested, carrots", Nick winked.

"Yes, but rather than sleeping in the guest room together with Ralph and Clara, Evelin accepted your offer in my dream…"

"Aww, two cute little bunnies together in our bed. I would love to witness this!", he snickered.

"In my dream, you did. But I will never work up the courage to finish if you interrupt me continuously!", she winked and gave him a small kiss. After a few seconds, she eventually continued…

* * *

When Evelin entered the kitchen in the morning, she was surprised to find Nick already preparing some breakfast.

"Hey, foxy! Already up so early?"

"Good morning, Eve!" Nick tried to balance some plates and mugs. "Just preparing breakfast for our birthday rabbits".

The rabbit snickered and took the cups from Nick's paws. "I had the same idea. Could I still help you?"

"You're a guest, too! Just sit down and lean back while I …"

"…turn potential pancakes into carbon?" Evelin snickered and quickly pulled the pan from the stove, dark smoke already starting to fill the kitchen.

"Oh dear", Nick made a frustrated face. "I admit I might be somewhat overchallenged right now".

"Don't worry, you're down but not out, yet", she winked. "But what is that _great_ smell?" she sniffed at the stove door.

Nick scurried to the oven and carefully opened the door, but only some sweet smell and steam escaped. "Phew, just in time!" – he took some oven cloth and pulled a baking plate out of the oven. "Those are Madeleines made by a family recipe, I trained with my mother every week for two months. You are always making so many great things, I just felt compelled to contribute something of my own".

"They smell and look delicious, Nicky!" Evelin smiled impressed. Then with a side look to the pan: "But you still wanted to make some pancakes?"

"Well, I've no idea if those Madeleines are edible, and it couldn't hurt to have a bit of a selection, it's their birthday after all", Nick smiled and put the small cakes from the baking plate onto a porcelain dish.

"Most likely they are more edible than those burned remains", she pointed to the pancakes and winked. "Your Madeleines smell great, don't worry. But if you still insist on making some pancakes, just let me take care of it".

When Judy entered the kitchen a short while later, Nick and Evelin were sitting at the table and giggling together.

"Am I intruding?" she asked with a light smirk, approaching Nick and giving him a kiss.

"Even though, you are always welcomed, Juju", Evelin snickered and hugged her older sister.

"I hope so!", Judy sat beneath Nick and scented the tea. "Ah, fresh chai. Since when do you drink such exotic blends, sis?" – she poured some tea in her own cup and added two table spoons of sugar.

"Nick suggested that this has been your favorite blend for a while now and that I may like it, too. It's really exotic compared to our herbal and fruit tea in Bunnyburrow. But it's tasty, good choice".

The older bunny took a quick sip from her cup and sighed with pleasure. "One of the advantages of living in the big city, sis", Judy smiled at her.

"And shopping malls!" Evelin grinned. "We absolutely have to go shopping today, I have no fitting dress for this evening! And I think I'm starting to notice a little bigger belly on you, too. The only cocktail dress you own will not fit you anymore, neither".

Nick rolled his eyes and said sarcastically: "A shopping trip with two pregnant bunnies, that will be a gas!"

"Did I hear 'shopping trip with my sisters'?", Clara leant on the door frame, yawning but grinning widely. Ralph was standing behind her, smiling with as much pleasant anticipation as Nick did just moments ago, too. "I need to gather my strength ahead of that! Do you have some tea and pancakes for me, too?"

"Just take a seat, I will bring you your breakfast in a second", Nick winked and got off his chair. When he returned from the kitchen, he carried a silver plate decorated with paper streamers and confetti – and three small plates, each with a Madeleine powdered with icing sugar and a burning birthday candle: " _(singing, together with Evelin)_ Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear litter-two, happy birthday to you!"

Ralph, Clara und Judy grinned and clapped their hands and each took a small cake – hesitating a short moment with clothed eyes – and finally blowing out their candles.

"Those smell great!" Judy nosed it and Clara nodded asking Evelin: "Are those Madeleines? Did you try a new recipe?" – Ralph was already biting in his and moaned with pleasure.

"Sorry, guys – those are made by Nick, I wasn't even in attendance while he made them but enjoying a hot shower", Eve grinned.

"You?!" Judy and Clara asked simultaneously to Nick, Ralph just looked surprised with his mouth still full.

The fox put his paw on his chest, letting his shoulders sink and had a hurt look on his face. "You are killing me! I still have some pride and emotions! Well, at least I did until seconds ago…" he sighed.

Judy and Clara looked at each other, then leapt at Nick and each gave him a kiss on a cheek with a big smile – this time Evelin was prepared for it and took a photo at just the right moment and grinned. Ralph walked up to him and just patted his back.

"Thank you, Nick. You are still able to surprise me after all this time!", Judy snickered and bit into her mini-cake, moaning with pleasure again. Clara was already having her second bite and Ralph had finished his Madeleine by now.

"I'm glad the two months of practice with my mom were not wasted", Nick smiled. After putting down the silver plate he went to the kitchen and came back with a bowl full of half-a-dozen more Madeleines, offering Evelin and Ralph another one at once.

"Two months to learn a simple recipe? At this rate, you can take over kitchen service when we retire", Judy snickered and took another sip of tea.

"Do you want to try a cup of chai, too?", Nick looked questioningly at Clara and Ralph, ignoring Judy's comment with a small wink.

"Sure, why not", Clara smiled, still a bit tired and sat down together with Ralph.

* * *

Nick and Ralph were leaning on the handrail outside of a millinery, each one carrying a paper bag with garments and other small purchases of the girls. They had already spent five hours in one of Zootopia's biggest shopping malls, Ralph and Nick mostly tagging along behind the three sisters, standing or sitting in a corner or outside the shop, waiting. It wasn't even that they were beggaring themselves, most of the time they didn't buy anything or just some small things. Judy, Evelin and Clara were kidding around like teenagers, goading each other into even the wildest and craziest clothes to try on. After a while, Ralph suggested that he and Nick could just as well wait in one of the cafés and when none of the sisters objected, the two exhausted good brothers strolled to a small French Café on the ground level.

"It's unbelievable how much time women can spend just with trying on clothes they know a priori that they would never buy them. ' _Just to see what it looks like_ '. I mean… is this an attempt to wear us down or to test our patience?" – Ralph sighed, receiving a cup of tea and cookies from Nick who just returned from the counter.

The fox snickered, "Maybe, but Judy has a rather clearly laid out wardrobe. A few more fancy clothes won't do any harm. I really like it how she is unwinding with Evelin around this weekend".

Ralph took a sip from his tea, put a sugar cube into the cup and started to stir it. "I didn't want to touch upon the subject with her around, she would just shrug off", the rabbit said slowly. "How is she doing? I mean the injury and all that. Judy seems to process it well, but she would also never let any of us see her vulnerable".

Nick smiled softly, "Our little Miss invincible". He thought about it for a moment. "She barely talks about that day; I asked a few times but didn't want to pressurize her either. It was a jar for her to be confronted with the dangers of our job suddenly, for both of us. But she is still bound and determined to keep her chin up."

"That sounds exactly like Ju", Ralph smirked. "And her injuries? Don't they cause some complications regarding her pregnancy?"

"Broken ribs are quite painful and Judy always hesitates to take those prescribed painkillers. Moreover, it will still take a few weeks until it gets better again. Nevertheless, according to our doctor, it is not impairing the pregnancy – or vice versa. However, there are other possible intricacies with mixed-species pregnancies. The scientific community in this area have achieved some great successes over the last few years, but our physiology is still kinda different. It will make the whole process rather exhausting – and I bet that Judy will try to downplay it, thinking she has to cope with it on her own. For such a cute little bunny, she is really tenacious!" – Nick giggled.

"If you want to stand out from the masses in a family of a few hundred siblings, you have to be tenacious", Ralph winked with a grin. "But I know exactly what you mean. Did she ever tell you the story of how she walked home all alone from the other side of Bunnyburrow when she was only four years old?"

"No way!" Nick grinned. "What happened?"

"They were on a school excursion, learning all about evolution and how the relationship between prey and predator had changed. But of course, back then and in the countryside, there was still a lot of mistrust, especially in a town like Bunnyburrow where only a very small amount of predators were living at this time. Well, some schoolmates were arguing that prey should never trust predators, and our teacher was an old-school hare, eager to agree with those schoolmates. You know Granpop? Our teacher, Mister Gruber was exactly like him. Well, Judy always being the free spirit, argued that they were all wrong and that predator and prey are now living in harmony. That the problem was not their species but their attitude – and we were only four years old, as I already mentioned! Therefore, Judy got a reprimand and was not allowed to visit the rest of the exhibition. Moreover, because it was a long walk home and the bus wasn't there already, she should sit and wait in front of the town hall for the rest of the class to finish. However, when we all left the town hall an hour later, she was gone. Mister Gruber did nearly have a heart attack, and a few beatnik otters were making fun that they had hunted and mangled her, as she deserved it as a little prey alone on the streets. One of them even had a shred of her shirt and before Mister Gruber could get a hold of them, they ran away. The whole class was in distress, let alone our parents! The police and a few dozen volunteers were searching the whole town, and Judy? When Mom and Dad got home late that evening in tears, they found Judy playing with her siblings in the living room. She later told them, that those otters were really trying to beat her up to steal her little handbag that looked like the head of a rabbit. However, she fought them back with a large stick and finally ran away – walking home all alone for several kilometers through the fields. She had no idea, how much everyone was worried when she had suddenly be gone."

Nick listened carefully to Ralph and visualized the whole scene. He finally smiled softly, "She hasn't changed much since then. Always saying what she thinks, and ramming her head against the wall. Nevertheless, I am always trying to keep up with her, so she is not on her own anymore".

"Well, maybe you understand what made us all wonder when Judy announced you as her boyfriend back in the days. After everything that she had undergone with those otters, with Gideon, and several more incidents, … Judy announcing a relationship with a predator – even a fox – was quite shocking in the first place. I confess, I felt a bit of pity for our parents", Ralph snickered. "But it was always obvious to me that you have to be someone special for her, otherwise she would not bother with you, and not even a year later you two are married, we are best friends and you are as much a part of the Hopps' family as every other child of us is. You have no idea how glad I am that you and Judy met".

Nick blinked nervously and looked taken aback by the rabbit. "Wow… I… don't know what to say. You already know that I love you all, so I have no idea what I'm supposed to do now". He maybe sounded a bit pathetic, but Ralph grinned at him.

"Rendering a fox speechless is enough of an answer I think".

* * *

"I'm coming in if you don't step out of that changing booth immediately!" Evelin demanded while waiting together with Clara in front of the small changing cubicle.

"You stay where you are!" Judy exclaimed. "I'm still trying to figure out how this scrap of cloth could be worn as a dress. I had swimsuits that covered more of my fur than this thing!" she sounded a bit desperate.

Evelin rested on a small chair and just giggled while Clara rolled her eyes with a wide grin: "It's called a cocktail dress, sis. You are supposed to look sexy in this, not like you're going for a walk in Tundratown!"

"You're joking, right? This is just some kind of underwear and you have just forgotten to hand me the dress, too" she sighed.

"I'm counting to three, Juju…" Evelin stood up from her chair with a grin.

"Oh, come on! The cloth on the front has a low cut nearly to my belly and is partly transparent, on the back there isn't even some cloth above my scut, and the dress is ending well above my knees!" Judy complained, still hiding behind the curtain.

"Three!" Evelin said impatiently and with a jolt, she drew the curtain of the changing booth open, revealing Judy eyeing herself in the mirror.

"Oh my goodness!" Clara exclaimed out of sheer joy. "I knew you were hiding a gorgeous body under all those granny-clothes of yours!"

"At least I don't feel as naked when wearing them as I do now!" Judy turned around to face both her sisters.

"Be glad that your belly is still rather flat, without knowing it, your pregnancy isn't necessary noticeable. I would need more cloth to hide only my belly than your dress contains", Evelin snickered, having a long look at Judy.

"What dress?! I only see an oversized shawl with holes in it! It's hardly covering my chest!"

"I thought you wanted something that isn't constraining your chest too much because of your ribs?" Clara giggled.

Evelin was tickling with her paw over Judy's back and her sister winced. "Perfect for some cuddling while dancing", she exclaimed with a grin. "But seriously, Juju. Compared to your usual clothing style this might seem a bit extreme, but it is really a beautiful dress and you are looking absolutely gorgeous in it. It'll feel a bit odd at first, but with your build you can be much more confident". Evelin was twitching here and there on the shoulders, sleeves and front until she was satisfied and nodded. "By the way, you are not going to wear a sports-bra with this dress tonight, too…" she pointed to Judy's chest with a grin.

"You are killing me, Eve!" Judy whined with a desperate look into the mirror again.

"I can think of something better …" Evelin winked at her while biting on her lip with a sly grin. "Apropos devouring, you already saw your litter-sisters dress?" she grinned and pointed to Clara who was wearing a revealing dress made of a black-transparent cloth with just opaque spots and stripes in a dark red-brown color; resembling the pattern of a tiger-cheetah-mix.

While Clara was presenting herself with a proud grin, Judy mumbled: "Sweet cheese and crackers", then looked to Evelin and her dress: It was in a dark blue and shoulder-less, but while it still covered her belly, it had a low cut on the back and covered most of her legs. "Why are you allowed to wear this, while Clara and I are half-naked? That's unfair!"

"It's somewhat difficult to find something really sexy when you are in the last quarter of pregnancy, sis. But you will experience this sufficiently early I guess" Evelin winked.

"Maybe I should try on something different, I'm feeling a bit off-color in this … touch of nothing" Judy sighed with a last look into the mirror; but this time she was even smiling a bit and admiring herself somewhat.

"We are celebrating our 26th birthday, Jude, and this time we are not in Bunnyburrow, where everyone would look at us judgmentally for being magnificent ladies, but in Zootopia! Just savor all the looks you will get this one time. We will have a great time, I promise!" Clara had approached the other two bunnies and put her paw on Judy's shoulder with a confident smile.

"Exactly!" Evelin nodded in agreement. "And now let's change into our own clothes. We still have to visit a lingerie shop!"

"W-What!?" Judy made big, shocked eyes.

* * *

Taking a large sip from his coffee, Nick was breathing deeply. "Wow, what a story! No wonder your parents were in quite a panic when Judy introduced me as her boyfriend! But leaving Grandpop out I think I have a rather good reputation by now", he winked. "Time for stage two of my brilliant plan!"

Ralph smirked, "That is?"

"Devouring your sisters, of course!" Nick tried to laugh a bit crazily but it sounded like he had choked on something and Ralph snorted with laughter.

"Sorry, Nick. I really like you, but you don't stand a chance against them even though two of them are pregnant" Ralph chuckled. "Evelin and Judy are like fire and brimstone, and Clara is in no way inferior to them when in … I mean, when it comes to a fight!" – Ralph coughed slightly with a small grin.

"Don't worry, I can detect a bunny in heat by this time sometimes even before they know it themselves", Nick laughed. "However, that lead me to a question I thought about since I've known Judy…"

"Fire away, bro!"

"I always wondered why Judy and Evelin have such a strong relationship. Clara is her litter-sister; wouldn't it have been all natural for them to be as close as Judy is with Evelin now? I even thought for a while that Evelin was part of your litter".

Ralph watched Nick for a while, thinking about the question. When he finally looked away and took a sip from his tea, he asked a bit quieter, "You know about Flowers? I saw her photo in the album yesterday Judy had made for you".

Nick nodded slowly: "No details. She was your litter-sister, but died only after a few days".

Ralph continued with a short sigh. "Clara and I were the first two of us to be born. Then there were some complications for Judy and Flowers, they both entangled with the umbilical cord. Judy was finally all right after all, but Flowers did not get enough oxygen for a short while. As our parents told us, Clara and I were holding each other from the first second and the newly born Judy did not let go of Flowers. Nevertheless, our little sister died after a few days during the night. Our parents discovered it only after a few hours, Judy was still holding her little sister and did not want to let her go – even she was getting cold. We were not aware of all of this back then of course. However, when the next litter was born nearly a year after this, Evelin was the first one and the moment she was laying alone on the blanket, our little Judy leapt from her grandmother's arm and immediately hugged her newborn sister as if she was afraid she could otherwise _disappear_ like her former sister. From this moment on, Judy and Evelin were inseparable – and still are. We all love each other of course, but Judy's and Evelin's relationship is just something special".

Nick's face was sad; he did not expect the background of Judy and Evelin's deep friendship to be such a mournful one. Now he somewhat regretted that he had asked Ralph about it, if at all it should have been Judy telling him this. He slouched his shoulders and swallowed hard on a piece of cookie he was chewing for several minutes now.

"Don't worry, it's all a long time ago. Of course, we miss our little Flowers since our parents told us about her; as Judy would describe it: She is always with us in our hearts and living among us as the bond between her and Evelin. We don't grieve over it anymore… and neither should you, Nick" – Ralph smiled warmly and patted Nick's paw.

Over the next hour, Nick questioned Ralph about all kinds of different things regarding bunny kits, how to nurse them and on his role as a father in general. The rabbit was partly amused, but did his best to answer all of the fox's questions. It was already afternoon when Judy, Evelin and Clara finally entered the small café, too. Each of them had a big paper bag in their paws and they grinned satisfied.

"Hey, sis! We thought you had forgotten us and were heading home alone" Ralph snickered and got two more chairs for his sisters.

Judy sat down next to Nick, giving him a soft kiss. "I spent more time in those stores today than I have in the past year", she sighed with a giggle.

"Found something appropriate, carrots?" Nick asked grinning.

"That's a matter of opinion, you can decide for yourself this evening", she snickered and took a large sip of Nick's tea.

"Don't listen to her, Nicky" Evelin snickered. "Clara and I made sure that she will just look incredible tonight"

Nick turned around to Judy and looked into her eyes, then after a few seconds answered with a smile: "That's not really difficult; she always looks incredible in my opinion".

* * *

It was half past seven in the evening, Ralph and Nick had dressed in white suits, Nick also wore a white hat with a black hatband and had a black cane with a silver knob in his paw. Ralph was trying to pull himself up, but still snickered amused.

"You are not serious about this, are you?"

"I always loved those classic accessories, only the upper class wore those in the late twenties!"

"And now no one does, what does that tell you?"

"That today' mammals don't have any sense of taste?" Nick grinned.

Ralph gave Nick another glance-over, and when the fox started to twist the cane in his paws and improvised some dance-moves, the rabbit shook his head and laughed. When Nick finished, he took his hat and took a bow while Ralph clapped slowly.

"You are really inimitable, Nick".

With a sly grin, Nick threw the cane in the air, spun around his own axis and wanted to catch it again – in that very moment he saw that Judy had entered the room in her new dress and smartened up by her sisters, watching him with a tickled pink grin, leaning in the door frame. Nick froze at once, starring at her and letting the cane fall onto the floor.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…" he mumbled with a gaze, his eyes almost popping out; Ralph followed his look and whistled approvingly.

"You're not taking that ridiculous cane with you, foxtrot" Judy snickered.

"I'm not taking the cane with me…" Nick repeated trance-like.

"Oh, and forget about that hat, too. I'm not gonna show up in the Hollow Bar with a fox at my side that's wearing that".

Nick let the hat in his hand drop to the floor, still devouring the unusual looking little bunny with his eyes.

Ralph nodded approvingly – "I always knew, that our litter had the best looking Hopps children. You look stunning, Jude. Literally", he grinned with a side-glance to Nick, who was still starring at her without moving".

"I find the reaction of your husband a bit alarming, sis", Clara cocked her head. "Shouldn't he be accustomed to seeing you with a lot less clothes on?" she giggled and Judy smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, there are a whole lot of sexy gray shades between being casually dressed and being naked. I don't believe that our fox experiences this bold side of our Juju often", Evelin said with a sly grin while stepping between Judy and Clara from behind. She first gave Clara a small kiss on her cheek, then turned around to give Judy one likewise; but her sister randomly turned her head to her in the same moment, resulting in Evelin giving her a short kiss on her lips. Clara, Evelin and Ralph started to giggle immediately while Judy turned red from embarrassment. When she heard Nick quietly whimpering, she detached from her sisters and approached him emphasized slowly with a sly grin.

"I'm not sure we can take this fox with us, he seems to be broken", she put her paw under his chin and closed his slightly open mouth. Judy could hear Nick's heart nearly exploding in his chest and she must agree that it was a great feeling to tease him like that.

"With that dress I'm sure you can pull whoever you want from that party tonight", Evelin giggled and Nick winced.

"I bet, not only the male mammals…" Clara added with a wink. Ralph just stood there with a wide grin and observed the play, already being accustomed to such things when his sisters were in heat or pregnant. They always tried to exhaust the situation, having a thing for playing the severe bunny-sisters. However, he also remembered Nick's advice that the mammals in Zootopia react differently to those in a village like Bunnyburrow – he and Nick would have some beady eyes on them for sure. At this moment, his sympathy was all with the fox: He had to agree, that his three sisters looked gorgeous; but in combination with their pheromones, it must be a torture for a mammal with such an exceptional olfaction like Nick.

"If you don't make a compliment immediately, I'll really consider going without you because it took quite an effort to dress up like this and I'm really in need of an ego boost now", Judy whispered with a sly grin.

When he bowed down a bit to give her a kiss between her ears, his lips were shaking. "You're really wearing me out" he mumbled and ran his claws over her back, making her shiver. "Beautiful bunny…"

"You three look like Charlie's Angels" Ralph snickered, approaching his other two sisters.

"More like Hopps' Angels - would that make you our 'Bosley'?" Clara grinned and Evelin snickered.

"Ladies, you can call me whatever you like!" Ralph winked and first gave Clara, then Evelin a kiss on the hand and finally went between them and linked his arms with theirs. "What about you two, are you accompanying us?"

Nick put his arm around his bunny, letting his paw rest on her hip. "We are ready to go; I want to swagger in the public with having the most beautiful lady of Zootopia at my side!" Nick grinned and Judy giggled quietly.

"I hope someone called a Zuber, because I'm not going to walk all the way to the bar with this dress. I don't want to get Pneumonia as well!" she winked.

* * *

When they arrived at the Hollow Bar, the location was crowded but Nick spotted Francine – an elephant, colleague and friend – in a large group sitting at a few tables near the stage. Most of their friends and colleagues had already arrived and were chatting. The four rabbits were following Nick who tried to clear the way for them, and the others were greeting and hugging them, wishing each of them a 'Happy Birthday' – with Evelin warding them off that she was only a guest, and Judy had to remind everybody who tried to hug her about her still hurting chest. Most of their guests were colleagues from the precinct, but there were also some other friends like Emmit Otterton and his wife, Renato Manchas, Fru Fru with her husband (and Nick was sure he saw Kevin and Raymond as their bodyguards at the bar), and several more.

When they all sat down again, a doe came by and took their orders for drinks.

"Next round is on me!" Bogo exclaimed with a slight grin. When their drinks arrived a few minutes later, they all raised their glasses and looked to the group of rabbits. "For your birthday, all the best wishes …" he started and the whole squad joined in, shouting:

"Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!" – stamping on the ground and battering on the table, and finally they were all chinking their glasses.

Many other guests quickly noticed the cheering group and a few started to sing loudly, with more and more of the other guests joining in – including the live band who played along:

 _"For they're jolly good fellows, for they're jolly good fellows!_  
 _For they're jolly good fellows (pause), which nobody can deny!_  
 _And so say all of us, and so say all of us!_  
 _For they're jolly good fellows, for they're jolly good fellows!_  
 _For they're a jolly good fellows (pause), which nobody can deny!"_

When the cheering and clapping slowly decayed, the rabbits thanked everybody with a happy smile. Clara managed to have a seat right beside Clawhauser who tried not to stare too obviously at her dress. Judy quickly noticed and lightly pushed Nick with her elbow to get his attention and pointed with her head in her sisters' direction with a grin. Evelin was eagerly talking with Fru Fru, who was really keen on her pregnant belly, and Ralph chatted with Bogo and the Ottertons. While Judy was chatting with Francine and Fangmeyer, Nick was having a talk with Alex, a badger and friend he and Judy met during a case, and McHorn – all having quite a good time.

It was about 22:00 when the band leader on the stage announced the beginning of the karaoke night – some special event that happened every second Saturday. Two half-drunk female pigs started it off with ' _Man, I feel like a woman_ ', not necessarily striking all the right tones but with full self-confidence. Next on was a young and a bit shy looking brown bear, singing ' _Take my breath away_ ' with an unexpectedly great singing voice – turning the bar into a sea of lighter lights. A female bear near the stage, obviously his date tonight, was really over the moon with his performance and blowing a kiss into his direction.

Francine and Fangmeyer started to persuade Judy to also sing a song, quickly accompanied by more colleagues. It didn't take long and Evelin and Clara witnessed the scene and without hesitating they grabbed Judy from both sides and dragged her along to the again empty stage.

Ralph tapped Nick, who was absorbed in a talk with the Ottertons, onto his arm and said with a nod in the direction of the stage: "That could get interesting…" he snickered and when Nick realized who was talking with the band about what song to play, the fox grinned.

"Oh, definitely!"

It was Clara who started to sing: "I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want…"

Followed by Evelin, who was stepping beside her: "So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!"

Judy finally approached from the other side and also sang: "I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want…" – followed by Evelin's answer again.

Clara continued: "I wanna, ( _Evelin and Judy: 'ha'_ ) I wanna, ( _'_ _ha'_ ) I wanna, ( _'_ _ha'_ ) I wanna, ( _'_ _ha'_ ) I wanna really, really, really wanna zigzag ah".

The first two lines of the verse were sung by Evelin, the other two lines by Judy – the refrain sang by all three of them: "If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends. Make it last forever, friendship never ends!"

Their performance was really good, Nick immediately assumed that it couldn't be the first time those three rabbits had sang this song together and grinned while clapping and whistling with the others after they finished: "If you wanna be my lover…" – all three stood together, hugging each other, Evelin and Judy resting their heads on Clara's left and right shoulder.

While another one started to sing 'Beat it', the three bunnies were welcomed at their table with a lot of cheering. All three of them were a bit puffed and Nick noticed Judy's painful facial expression at once in spite of her smiling attempt. He handed her two of her painkillers he had took along preventively. Judy was not too pleased, but took them gratefully with some sips from her cola nevertheless.

In the meantime, Clara and Evelin tried to convince Ralph to sing a song, too.

"Come on, sis. You know I'm not good at singing!" he tried to make some excuses but in the end, he gave in, emptied his beer and stood up with a sigh. "Okay, okay – but I have warned you!"

He had a short talk with the band and after a very short intro, he sang: "I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you. And I think to myself: What a wonderful world". The rabbit didn't have the dark and smoky voice of the original, but he wasn't bad either – a lot of guests started panning their lighters again, everyone listening quietly to the slow and dreamy ballad. In the end, Ralph got quite some applause and even a few whistles.

Judy hugged her brother when he walked back to their table: "That was wonderful, really heart-warming."

"I'm happy if you are pleased, but it's nothing compared to your performance with Evelin and Clara" he winked and ordered another beer.

"Where's Nicky hiding? He has to sing a song tonight, too!" Evelin snickered and quite a few others were chiming in. Judy looked around, Nick wasn't on his seat anymore where she had left him just a minute ago. At that moment, the band started to play a slow rumba and Nick said into the microphone:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my wife, who is still the love of my life, is celebrating her birthday today among us. This song is for the most beautiful woman I know – this song is for you, Judy…" he stood on the stage with his enamored smile while the band finished their intro:

"Someday, when I'm awfully low. When the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you and the way you look tonight.

You're lovely, with your smile so warm, and your cheeks so soft, there is nothing for me, but to love you and the way you look tonight".

Judy was getting all emotional again, swinging slowly to the beat and listening to her fox singing. She thought back to over a year ago when they were in this bar, too, and she heard Nick sing for the first time – "Wicked Games" was the song back then and they started being a couple that evening. Now they were married, she was pregnant and celebrating her birthday together with her siblings, best friends and colleagues in the same bar, and Nick was singing for her again.

While the band was playing the instrumental part, Nick stepped down from the stage and took Judy's paw into his. When he tried to draw her with him back onto the stage, she made no resistance and followed him. Putting his arm around her body and giving her a short kiss on the cheek, he finally continued to sing:

"Yes, you're lovely, never, ever change. Keep that breathless charm. Won't you please arrange it? Cause I love you just the way you look tonight!"

Judy just watched him with her happiest smile, swaying slowly to the song.

"Darling… just the way you look tonight" Nick finished the song and while the band was playing the last notes, he embraced Judy and they shared a deep and loving kiss while the crowd was cheering and whistling to them.

When they finally approached their table again, they had to bear some smirks and cheeky comments from their colleagues. Only Evelin was anomalously quiet, not giving a single barefaced comment but just smiled at them happily, leaning against Ralph's shoulder. During Nick's performance, it was the very first time this weekend that Evelin missed her husband from the heart; the song really got to her and Ralph put his arms around his sisters shoulder to comfort her.

"Sorry, I didn't want to bother you, dear brother" she smiled after a few minutes and patted his arm. "But Nick's song and watching them together was just so touching".

"No excuses needed, sis" Ralph smiled at her. "Are You okay now?"

"Yepp, just a short mood. Where is Clara?" Evelin smiled again, sipping from her non-alcoholic drink and looking around.

Ralph pointed with his head to the big cheetah and grinned softly. Clara was sitting on Clawhauser's lap and talking quietly with him, their paws folded together and giggling from time to time. Most colleagues were peeking every now and then in their direction with a small grin, but nobody said anything and left them alone.

Around midnight the karaoke night ended and the band played for two more hours some quiet and slow songs. The guests, who were mostly at the bar to party or for the karaoke night, left gradually and the remaining ones either talked quietly at their tables or danced together to the music. The colleagues who had the early shift bade farewell, too. When it was shortly after two o'clock in the morning, Nick had a special wish for the last song the band should play. After a quick talk with the bandleader, he returned to Judy: "May I have the pleasure of the last dance tonight?" – The band started to play ' _Slow dancing in a burning room_ ' and with a smitten smile, Judy followed Nick to the stage, embracing him and started to slowly sway with him to 'their' song.

"I love you, my sly fox" she whispered quietly and Nick smiled.

"I love you, my sly bunny" he replied and while the lead-guitar was playing a great solo they noticed that Ralph and Evelin were dancing together, too. When the song finished, they looked at each other with a content smile and slowly walked back to their table where only Benjamin and Clara were sitting together – all of their other guests had already left at least twenty minutes ago. Ralph had already paid their last drinks and Nick called a Zuber to drive them home.

Clara was slightly drunk and Benjamin offered to carry her to their taxi. He finally bid farewell to all rabbits and Nick with a big hug and left them in a good mood, walking home.

"I would have bet that you two would at least spend the night together, sis" Evelin grinned at Clara after they were sitting in their taxi.

"We don't want to rush things" she declared, giggling tiddly.

Nick and Judy shared a quick look, and then grinned. "Well, Benjamin is at least a mammal with a heart as big as his hunger for donuts – and a real gentleman. You could have chosen worse" Judy winked at her dizzy sister.

It took them only five minutes to arrive at their apartment, Nick and Ralph supported Clara walking to the elevator and finally to their flat. When she laid down on the guest bed, she almost fell asleep immediately. The others grinned somewhat, but Ralph was also feeling the effects of the alcohol by now.

"I think I will go to bed, too. What about you?" he asked the other three.

Evelin nodded slowly, "Don't get me wrong, Juju. I would love to talk with you the whole night, but my back and feet are killing me by now."

"You're getting old, Eve" Judy snickered.

"Be glad that you are currently only in your third week, it won't be much longer and you will have to carry a belly as big as a squash with you, too!" Evelin winked and stroked over her belly smiling. "Have a good night you two, we'll see you in the morning", she gave Nick and Judy a quick kiss and followed Ralph into the guest room, closing the door behind her.

Nick and Judy went into their own bedroom. Nick put his jacket, trousers and shirt onto a chair and let himself fall backwards onto their bed. "I hope you had a great evening and birthday, carrots", he smiled softly, looking at their ceiling. He heard some rustling but Judy didn't answer him. "Carrots? Are you okay?" he asked somewhat curiously. When he propped his upper body up with his arms and elbows, Judy was standing in front of their bed, still having her new dress on and smiling at him. He admired the look for a moment and smiled. Judy climbed slowly onto the bed, carefully readjusting her dress so it didn't get out of place, and finally knelt above him, her legs beside his hips.

"It was a really great evening, Nick" she smiled – then slowly grabbed behind her and pulled the dress above her head, throwing it into a corner of the room. She was wearing some really hot and transparent lingerie with lacing, definitely something Nick had never seen on her before. She could hear how his heartbeat accelerated again like the first time he saw her this evening and he slowly gulped; she started to grin slyly at him, deciding to tease him just a little bit longer: "And now I'm claiming my birthday present…" she leaned forward, rubbing all over Nick's fur with her paws and kissed him passionately.

* * *

 _ **Many thanks to Sean Dalglish for his review and proofreading this chapter!**_


	27. 3x06 - The Red Flash

_"That's baseball, and it's my game. Y' know, you take your worries to the game, and you leave 'em there. You yell like crazy for your guys. It's good for your lungs, gives you a lift, and nobody calls the cops. Pretty girls, lots of 'em."_ - _Humphrey Bogart_

* * *

"I'm never having alcohol ever again", Ralph complained while slowly rubbing his temples. Evelin snickered quietly and caressed her brothers ears that were peeping out of the blanket, that she was also sitting on. "Did we pack some light painkillers?" he sighed.

"Not to my knowledge" Eve chuckled. "But I'm sure, Judy and Nick will have some".

"It's only just past nine, I don't want to wake them up", Ralph sighed and turned his head to the other side, smiling slightly when he saw the still deeply sleeping Clara. "And it seems they are not the only ones still asleep".

Evelin stretched her head, watching her older sister and grinned. "She would have been better making out with that cheetah instead of drinking another cocktail".

"Another one of our litter dating a predator from Zootopia? Mom and Dad will be ecstatic!" Ralph winked.

"As long as you're the good son and having a normal rabbit family with Melanie" Evelin snickered, "Speaking of a normal rabbit family, what about your second litter? Your first one is almost a year old; it's about time, isn't it?"

Ralph groaned, "You will have more than enough little bunnies to look after in about a week, won't you?"

"That's what I'm saying! A few more or less will make no difference", she giggled.

"Don't forget about Judy's kits", Ralph smiled at her. "Did you already talk with her about Sven's…"

"Shhh!" Evelin put her finger in front of her mouth. "No, I haven't, and Clara has no idea, either", she looked to her older sister and then to Ralph again with a warning look. "And as long as his negotiations are not home and dry, I will not say anything. You're currently the only one who knows about it. I don't want to raise false hope". Her ears twitched when she heard the toilet flushing. "Oh, and at least one of our hosts is already awake. I will ask for some painkillers for you", she winked at Ralph who nodded thankfully.

Evelin slipped from the bed, slowly rubbing her belly. Her little kits were quite active this morning again! She opened the door of the guestroom and walked along the hall to the bathroom. As she was waiting in front of it, she heard a quiet moaning.

She knocked on the door hesitantly, asking softly: "Is everything okay in there?" She could hear someone using the sink then some quiet footsteps – definitely Judy. "Juju?"

"Yeah…" her sister answered with a quiet and somewhat weary voice.

Evelin pushed down the handle and slowly opened the door. "Hey, sis. Everything ok… green carrot, what's the matter with you?" She made a quick leap towards her sister who was bracing both her arms on the basin and had a really pale face.

"Hey, Eve" she tried to smile. "Everything's alright, just some morning sickness". Judy slowly turned around, appearing to be somewhat weak- in the knees.

Eve put her arms around her and smiled softly. "You should sit down and have a glass of juice. Come on, I'm escorting you to the couch".

"Thank you, but I think I can go on my own…" she said but stumbled the moment she wanted to leave the bathroom.

"Hey, hey… careful, sis. That's not normal morning sickness, you cannot even stand on your own. You're sure that everything's okay?" Evelin braced her sister on her arm and looked somewhat worried. They made a few steps together out of the bathroom and headed to the living room.

"I'm just a bit tired, I didn't get a lot of sleep. They were kicking around the whole night and it's difficult to find a position that is comfortable for both my belly and my chest" Judy smiled softly, holding her belly with one paw, and her other arm supported by Evelin.

Her sister turned her head a bit and put her own paw on Judy's belly. "You're sure you're just in your third week? You look as if you are at least in the fourth" she winked.

"And I'm feel like I'm in the sixth…" Judy smiled. "But Doctor Alisson was quite sure about that. Please don't say that I have woken you up?" she looked worried at her younger sister.

Evelin waved her hand and shook her head, "No, don't worry. I've been awake for half an hour and Ralph woke up ten minutes ago. I just heard someone in the bathroom and wanted to ask if you have some painkillers for your sissy-brother", she grinned.

"Too much beer yesterday, eh?" Judy grinned a bit. "Yes, of course. We have some aspirin in our drawer over there…" she wanted to break away on her own but Evelin held her tight.

"I can get it, too. You are going to sit down right there, geddit?"

"I'm okay, Eve", Judy smiled softly, but she didn't sound too convincing. Evelin escorted her to the couch and helped her sit down. While Evelin walked to the kitchen, that is separated with a counter from the living room, Judy leaned back and sighed. "I don't get it, I'm in really good shape and you are even a few weeks ahead. Still, you seem to cope with the pregnancy far better than I am!"

"That has nothing to do with your training or fitness, sis. Also, don't forget that I was not blown up by a car bomb", her sister winked and filled a glass with some carrot juice. "And all the kicking of your kits is a good sign, they are developing quite fast and are in good health".

"I don't want to think about the fact, that this will get even worse in the next five weeks", Judy sighed and took the glass from Evelin.

"Don't worry, I heard the first litter is the hardest", Evelin winked and sat on the armrest.

"You are already thinking about more litters?" Judy seemed a bit surprised.

"Of course! You know how much I love kits, a few vexations during pregnancy will not discourage me".

"It's not only some vexations that give me a pause. Nick and I also live in a big city, not in the countryside and it's even a small miracle that I got pregnant without medical help, who knows if this will ever work again. There is very little information available about fox-rabbit-crossbreeds. Did you know, that they are really called 'funnies'? And of course we are both working in a time consuming job. Also, we are still sitting on the fence how our kits will be… I mean, will they be okay? What if they aren't healthy? Or what if they don't get along with other kits? Or what if…"

"Hey, hey, hey… Juju… you are totally overthinking everything again!" Evelin took her now panicky sister in her arms and patted her back soothingly. "Take a deep breath, sis. Everything will be alright, I'm sure. I didn't mean to hassle you about it". While Evelin hugged her sister, she felt a soft kicking from Judy's belly and grinned. "Wow, you were right. Your kits are already much more active than mine were in their third week".

Judy nodded and sighed pleased, stroking Evelin's arm. When Ralph coughed slightly, standing in the door frame, both rabbits turned their head.

"Morning, Ralph" Judy smiled softly.

"Hey, sis", he smiled, "I thought I'd better look Evelin, as she just wanted to bring me some aspirin. I could have bet that you two are already gossiping together again".

"Whoops, sorry. Totally forgot about your headache. The pills are in the drawer over there", Evelin smiled apologetically.

"It's my fault, I wasn't feeling all too well", Judy explained and wanted to get off the couch. "Wait a second, I'm getting them for you!"

"Will you be a good bunny now and just stay put, Juju!" Evelin urged her sister, who was already reeling again while trying to get up from the couch.

"I'm absolutely able to get them on my own, but thanks Ju", Ralph smiled and walked to the drawer beside the TV. "Is everything okay, did you sleep well? To be honest you are looking somewhat ill".

"I'm okay, just a bit weary. It was around four o'clock when we finally went to sleep, but it's hard to find a comfortable position for my belly and my chest concurrently", Judy answered while leaning back again.

Ralph opened the drawer, took two small pills from a small box and walked over to the counter, reaching for a carafe with water and a glass.

"Is Clara still asleep?" Judy asked.

"Yepp" Evelin nodded, "I think she wanted to give herself liquid courage, but ended with a cocktail too many. I already said to Ralph she would have been better making out with that cheetah instead of drinking that last Pina Colada", she giggled.

"Benjamin and Clara… oh, I would pay to see this!" Judy snickered quietly. "Or at least Dad's face when he hears about it".

"I rest my case", Ralph grinned after taking a big sip from his glass of water. "I already said that Mom and Dad would be ecstatic if another one of our litter goes out with a predator".

"I'm not sure if Ben really counts as a real predator. He is more like a really big and fluffy cuddly toy and totally harmless. But it would be funny nevertheless", Judy giggled. "But wasn't Clara into other females? I mean, I didn't take a closer look, but as far as I know Ben is still a male cheetah".

"Maybe her attraction to females only counts for bunnies, not for other species" Evelin suggested with a shrug and grinned.

"I just hope that she is not only playing with Ben, he is a really nice bro and doesn't deserves to be just utilized by a needy bunny in heat", Nick stood in the door frame to the living room, yawning with a grin, still a bit tired looking.

"Ah, our late sleeper is also awake. Good morning, Nicky!" Evelin had turned her head and smiled to him. "Did we wake you up?"

"Naah, I woke up when Judy went to the bathroom and wondered why she hadn't come back yet", Nick toddled to the couch and put his snout onto his bunnies head between her ears. When she wrapped her ears around his snout he hummed contentedly.

"That's also the reason I finally got off the bed", Ralph chuckled. "Evelin just wanted to get me some aspirin but then stood me up".

"Cry me a river!" Evelin snickered and Ralph poked his tongue out at her.

"I hope, you liked your little party yesterday", Nick smiled, running his paw through Judy's fur.

"I think it was a great day, wasn't it Ju?" Ralph walked to the other couch smiling.

"After I habituated being nearly nude in that dress, I had a lot of fun, too", she answered with a small grin and Evelin giggled.

"You looked gorgeous, carrots. Even more than usual", Nick gave Judy a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you", she said quietly and smiled sheepishly. "Did you have some fun, too, Eve? You got rather quiet late in the evening".

"I confess that I got somewhat emotional and really started to miss Sven while watching you two", the younger rabbit smiled, putting her paw on Judy's leg.

"Why didn't he accompany you this weekend?" Nick asked curiously. "We still have the folding bed and our couch is also extendable. Maybe it's not a burrow, but we still have enough room to host a few of you bunnies for a night or two".

"That's so sweet of you", Evelin smiled. "But he had a business appointment in Podunk and stayed overnight".

"He works in his families transport service company, doesn't he?" Judy asked.

"In the Administration Department, yes. They are one of the biggest service providers for all kinds of travel and logistics".

"Well, just remember that you are all welcomed whenever you want to visit us", Nick smiled to Evelin and Ralph. "And now I'm going to prepare some breakfast, I really could use some coffee".

"I'm going to help you", Ralph hopped off the couch and followed Nick while Evelin restrained Judy again. But instead of objecting with her younger sister, the rabbit just sighed this time, closed her eyes and leaned against her shoulder. Evelin smiled and put her arm around her drained sister.

* * *

It was quarter past one when Nick and Judy accompanied Ralph and a still very sleepy Clara to the railway station. After Sven had called and told Evelin that he could pick her up on his way back, Evelin decided to skip the train ride and stay at the apartment waiting for him, still being somewhat exhausted. So after waving Judy's litter siblings goodbye, the two ZPD officers went for an amble through Savanna Central on their own.

"Are you sure we shouldn't cancel our appointment with Finnick? You are really looking somewhat peaky, carrots".

"No way, Nick!" Judy shook her head determined. "You two haven't met for ages and our meeting today at the baseball game has been scheduled for a long time. We are not going to cancel that just because I partied too hard!"

"Maybe it was a little bit late last night, but you cannot call that partying hard. I'm just worried about you, and your wellbeing always has my highest priority. Even Finnick has to wait in line for that and Evelin also stayed at home to slacken off".

"I'm okay, foxtrot. Also, we are only sitting in the stadium watching the game, not playing ourselves. Besides, Evelin's pregnancy is already due in about a week", she smiled. They crossed the street to enter the municipal park and Nick sighed; continuing to argue with Judy at this point was as promising as trying to persuade a mountain to move out of the way.

"Difficutie…" Nick muttered and cradled her a bit tighter.

"Say again?" Judy raised her eyebrows and grinned roguishly.

"Nothing, carrots".

"Dumb fox".

"I'm not dumb just because I care about you, Judy".

The rabbit nudged him with her hip and smiled. "I know that you are not dumb, Nick. Come on, you are always going along with our little jokes. There is no reason for you to worry, I promise. I'm just somewhat exhausted after the last few days and not getting enough sleep".

"Are you cold, my little wabbit rabbit?" Nick tickled his paw over her arm.

Judy sighed and shook her head, "No… it's just my chest hurting again".

The fox paused, "Why don't you take your painkillers, carrots? You cannot be too proud, are you?"

"I don't like to take all those drugs constantly while I'm pregnant", she answered while sitting down on a nearby park bench, breathing deeply.

Nick sat beside her, put his arm around her shoulders and smiled: "And I don't like to see you in such pain that you are even trembling". Nick took a small box out of his pants and gave it to Judy. She took it with a soft smile, opened it and swallowed one of the pills.

"Do you carry those everywhere with you?" she winked at him.

"Be prepared!" Nick winked back at her and lifted his right paw. Judy giggled and let her eyes wander over the other mammals walking along the side-street, snuggling up to Nick's warm and fuzzy tail and burying her nose into it. The year would end in just a few weeks and even in the weather-controlled city the wind was getting somewhat colder at this time of year.

Nick was tickling her head when Judy asked: "Do you ever think about what our kits will be like?"

The fox thought about it for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders. "It would be great if they are as beautiful as their mommy and as clever and eloquent as their daddy…", he grinned.

"Ha ha", Judy snickered quietly.

"…but as long as they are healthy, I'm happy".

"Yeah… I think that's something every couple is worried about. But if their current activity is any indicator, they are going to be some balls of energy", she grinned while stroking over her belly. Nick put his own paw very slowly and carefully onto her belly, too, and flinched a bit with a happy smirk when he felt some little kicks.

"I know you don't like it, but I have to say it… you are such a cutie, now more than ever!" he snickered and gave her an enduring kiss between the ears.

Judy smiled tenderly at him and fondled his neck. "Actually, I really like it when you call me your cutie".

"Don't lead me into temptation, you compelling, cute little bunny!"

Judy snickered, playing around with the fur on his tail again. Then she got more serious again: "I'm a bit worried, Nick. Sure, we will love them either way, but what if they will look so uncommon that they will be sidelines and social misfits? You hardly see any crossbreeds, or do you know some?"

"As I already said, I know everyone, carrots" Nick winked with his sly grin.

"Dumb fox", Judy nudged him with her elbow and smiled.

"But seriously, don't worry too much about it, Judy. There are actually more crossbreeds than you would think, but they don't look so much different than their parents, so it's rarely noticeable. It's not that some mad scientist is going to put different body parts randomly together. The genetics of one parent are dominant most of the time".

"Maybe I'm just a dumb country bunny, but do you have some examples?" Judy grinned with a curious look.

"Well, I know a few mules running a construction-business in the Meadowlands. And there is a really upscale restaurant in Lions Gate run by a female liger. Or Jane Tunney, the famous author of children's books? She is a coutah".

"Granted, but those species are all looking rather similar, it's no surprise that their mutual children are more or less unremarkable".

"You dare me, really?" Nick started to grin slyly. "Okay then, what about Salazar? He's a Zeraffe and a successful model".

"You mean the giraffe that was in that famous advertisement by Calvin Swine last year?" Judy made big eyes.

"Oh, his mother is, for sure", Nick snickered. "Did you never wonder about his uncommon fur pattern?"

"Well, I just thought it's some kind of makeup. Or maybe even tattoos. Wait, a Zeraffe you said?" Judy asked thoughtfully and Nick nodded. "Hm.. that would make his father a … wait, a zebra?!"

"Right on the button, carrots".

"Oh… ok, well..." Judy started to grin, "Could be an interesting sight. Did he use a ladder, what do you think?"

They both started to laugh, then Judy asked after a while: "What about kits with mixed predator-prey parents?"

Nick furrowed his brows but finally shook his head. "Toothless croc, you've got me there. I know a few couples, but as far as I know they have no biological children". He leaned forward and rubbed his nose tenderly over her cheek. "I have no idea what Funnies are going to look like, maybe just big rabbits with short ears", he grinned.

Judy smiled, "I'm also okay with small foxes having floppy ears…" she suddenly paused and her eyes widened.

The fox just replied her increasing grin with a confused look. "What are you thinking about, carrots?"

"Did you actually ever met Finnick's parents?" she started to giggle.

"No, why do you…", he started but it slowly dawned on him what Judy was implying. "No way!" he snorted with laughter.

"Who knows", Judy winked giggling. "I always thought that he is quite funny".

* * *

The tram to the stadium was crowded and Nick was watching his little rabbit the whole time to prevent someone bumping into her or knocking her over. Under normal circumstances, it was no problem for her to ride with the train, being pregnant almost always securing her a seat, too. But the mammals on their way to the baseball game were already partly drunk and the mood was really heating up. Baseball wasn't Judy's favorite sport and if at all she watched a game preferably from her cozy couch on television. Nick didn't really trace all the games, but liked to watch the finals. As opposed to this, Finnick was always a big fan of the Red Paws, a club from Savanna Central, and in the past he and Nick scalped tickets for the games and naturally also used them themselves.

But their get-together today wasn't really about the baseball game but more an act of friendship by Finnick. He and Nick were friends for nearly six years, a really long time considering both their lifestyles at that time. But when Nick started to visit the police academy they parted company; not as a conscious decision, but just lost contact after a while. The last time Judy saw Finnick was during their night howler case, when she asked him for help to find Nick. She talked with him on the phone two more times a few weeks later and then only again a few weeks ago when she asked him for photos of Nick for her album. But as far as she knew, he and Nick had no contact for more than half a year when her fox called him again to ask Finnick if he wanted to be his groomsman – which he denied. Getting a card from the fennec fox for their wedding and tickets for today's baseball game to meet again, was a big surprise that gave Nick one of his rare emotional moments. But Judy was of course aware of the fact that Nick was still somewhat nervous about their get-together. She didn't even need to hear his accelerated heartbeat in this crowded wagon to realize this and even though she wasn't feeling too well, she wouldn't allow Nick to use that as an excuse to defer their appointment. Finnick was one of the few mammals Nick ever called a friend, and Judy felt at least a little bit guilty that they had lost contact – ultimately it was because of her that Nick started to work for the ZPD.

When the tram arrived at the final stop and all passengers were jostling to the exit doors, Judy breathed deeply and Nick sighed relieved.

"Their loutish behavior will get even worse after the game for sure", Nick grumbled and handed Judy his paw to help her get up.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe we should go back by foot instead of using the tram?"

"We will see how bad it gets. But it's quite a distance, I will not let you walk that far in your current state. Maybe we can get a Zuber".

"I bet those are completely booked", Judy smiled softly, linking her arm with Nick's and slowly following the big group of mammals heading to the stadium a few hundred meters away.

"Well, I could go savage on you so our colleagues get us arrested and give us a ride back to the precinct", Nick snickered.

"Sorry, foxtrot, but the Canal District is in the jurisdiction of precinct seventeen, and I bet Bogo would extend your office duty for an indefinite time if he has to explain to them why one of his officers went savage on an innocent, cute, little – not to mention pregnant – prey during a major sports event". Judy looked up at him with those big eyes, acting like the innocent victim.

"Sly bunny", Nick winked at her, putting on his aviator sunglasses, and Judy grinned.

"Where are we meeting Finnick, by the way?" she asked while looking around.

"We are meeting at that effigy of a lion opposite the main entrance".

"It's a statue of General Kion, smarty-fox", Judy nudged him with her hip and smirked. "You really don't know about history, do you?"

"Naah, I know other mammals who I can ask if I ever need it", Nick grinned slyly.

Judy sighed with a smile and they headed towards the big statue. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"Why should I be…" Nick snickered but paused when he noticed Judy's sly grin and just smiled at her. "Yeah, maybe I'm just a bit uneasy. It has been a while and Fin can be quite freakish".

Judy nudged him with her elbow and winked: "Just try to imagine him as a little 'funny', and everything should be fine".

Nick started snorting, "He will string us up for this, you know that, carrots?"

"Threatening a cop is a crime, why should I risk jail time for a slacker like you?" someone asked with a deep voice, standing right behind a pillar. Nick winced for a moment, but then put on his sly grin.

"If this isn't my little baby elephant..."

The small fennec fox came around the pillar with crossed arms and cocked his head.

"Well, you've sure still got your large ears, but where is your cute little trunk?" Nick continued with an even wider grin.

"You're playing with fire! Not the best idea for a former iceman", Finnick snarled and eyed Nick slowly. "Give me a leg up, smartass: Are you still trying to hustle yourself out of that accusation for tax fraud or are you just into little ones with large ears?"

"Busted! You didn't reciprocate my feelings so I had to realign", Nick shrugged and put his sunglasses down. "Also, she doesn't threaten to bite off my face when I kiss her, you know", he turned to Judy and gave her a short kiss between the ears, resulting in the little rabbit rolling her eyes with a grin.

"You're still playing the squeaky wheel, aren't you? Did you find yourself a new 'daddy' in the meantime, little toot-toot?" Judy put a paw on her hip and grinned slyly at Finnick.

The fennec fox put down his sunglasses, too, now turning to Judy. "And you are still the little quixotic country bunny, trying to make the world a better place?"

"Maybe a little less idealistic, but still trying to change the world step-by-step. At least it worked with our red-furred friend here", she poked her elbow into Nick's side.

Finnick started to smirk, "Still the quick-witted bunny". He turned his head back to Nick: "And you two are really married? Damn, she really hustled you good, old boy!" With an amused grin he handed him his paw and Nick eagerly grabbed it.

"She's the only one beside you who ever managed to accomplish this", Nick squatted and hugged the fennec fox laughing.

Finnick patted the fox's back, then stepped back again and turned to Judy, eyeing her from head to toe. "The last time we met you were in top-condition, but meanwhile that lazyfox' poor fitness seemed to have rubbed off on you. I would have bet that you had a better taste in mate selection, bunny-cop", he winked with a grin.

"Oh, I'm keeping him on the hop, don't worry" Judy snickered and hugged the little fox. "Good to see you again, Finnick".

"On the Hopps' would be more precise!" Finnick snorted with laughter and Nick snickered.

Judy just shrugged and rubbed her belly with a grin: "Well, as it turned out we rabbits are not the only ones good at multiplication".

Finnick started to choke with laughter, then just starred at Judy wide-eyed. "You are joking, right?"

"Did you think I'm fattening her up? You know what a great chef I am", Nick winked at the baffled fennec fox.

Finnick looked doubtfully up to Nick, then back to Judy who was visibly amused by his stun.

"Yes, I'm pregnant and yes, Nick is the father", she winked.

"Bloody hell!" the little fox muttered. "I'm unsure, should I congratulate you, or should I rather express my condolences?"

"You're getting two siblings to play with, little toot-toot", Judy snickered and cuddled the bewildered fox, giving him a quick kiss on his forehead.

"You better tell this jokester that I'm still an unsafe predator with sharp claws and teeth, because I'm unsure how much longer I can withhold myself from biting her face off" Finnick snarled with a side-glance to Nick who already had tears in his eyes from laughing.

"I would pay to see you both wrestling". He wiped away some tears with his paw, still giggling just like Judy.

"More likely you would stand by and charge others to watch and accept bets as a book-maker", Finnick finally started to grin, too, and shook Nick's paw congratulating him.

"Fin, you know I love you, but your odds are rather lousy. Carrots would even kick your ass while she's in labor, I know where I speak".

"Good to know, you will be my champion if I'm ever going to organize some preyfights" he winked while hugging Judy to congratulate her, too. "Not that I would ever do such a thing!"

 _[A/N (zootopiaChronicl_ _es /appendix/glossar): "Preyfighting is a blood sport between two prey fighting in a ring until one of the opponents is knocked unconscious, often inflicting significant physical trauma on each other. It's illegal in most countries but there are underground fight clubs. The history of organized preyfights goes back a few hundred years when predators were keeping prey as some sort of slaves (see also: Predsuck)"]_

"Of course not" Judy smiled slyly and linked her arm with Nick's again. "Should we go in and search our seats?

* * *

"That's friggin' unbelievable! Not a single score yet against those woodland creepers! On a home match! This overpaid jerk cannot hit a ball thrown by a sloth!" Finnick stood on his seat and was swearing like a trooper.

It was already the last inning and just one strike left, all spectators banking on quite a few extra innings. Some music was playing in the stadium as the trainer of the Zootopia Red Paws requested a time out. Nick was also ranting, albeit not as excited as Finnick: The current batter of the Red Paws was after all a red fox, too. Judy was sneering – it was really funny to witness Finnick and Nick losing the plot over something trivial like a baseball game. She gently rubbed her belly; the two kits were apparently also playing, but it felt more like soccer or kick boxing. When the crowd started to bawl gleefully she looked down to the playing field, but the time out wasn't over yet. A short glance to one of the jumbo screens offered an explanation: They were entertaining the fans with the kiss-cam again and right now an older lion was fiercely kissing a white lioness. Judy grinned but was distracted again by another kick in her tummy – when she was suddenly jostled from behind, nearly falling off her seat.

"Come here, sweetie-pie!" a young vixen with a Red Paws scarf and baseball cap that was sitting right behind Judy had thrown herself at Nick, not paying attention to the little rabbit she had inadvertently pushed from her seat. The howling got louder again, but Judy didn't pay attention to it: Kiss-cam aside, but this was still her fox! With a quick and bold leap she jumped back on her seat, then on Nick's lap, pratting the vixen away right before she could kiss him. Nick hadn't yet fully realized what was going on and looked puzzled; at that very moment Judy made a dive for him and gave him a passionate and deep kiss. The fox made a quick recovery from his shock: He put his arms around the little bunny, raised her up grabbing her shoulders and bottom, leaned forward and replied her kiss equally.

Finnick – and the rest of the sold-out stadium via the jumbo screens – were watching them for at least ten seconds, jeering completely overcome with hysteria, until the unequal couple slowly parted again and two other mammals were shown on the kiss-cam.

"That was… unexpected, carrots" Nick grinned slyly at the slightly trembling bunny down in his arms.

"I just have a very deep territorial instinct, foxtrot" Judy grinned bemused with sparkling eyes.

 _"Okay, here we go again! Wow, what a steamy time out! Hopefully our red fox on the field is equally dedicated: Two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth! Batter Marvin Leika from the Zootopia Red Paws against pitcher John Saman from the Deerbrooke Eagles!"_ the stadium announcer spoke quick and excited while the players were entering their positions again.

"Cut the groping, Romeo!" Finnick shouted to Nick then started to jump excited on his seat: "GO RED PAWS!"

Judy and Nick snickered while he was putting her down again on her seat. The young vixen sitting behind Judy considered the rabbit with an envious look but finally winked at Judy with a smile and a thumbs-up. Then she jumped to her feet, joining in the howling for the Red Paws.

 _"Pitcher is preparing his throw and… there it is! A line shot up the middle! Look at him go, this fox can really fly! He's rounding first and really turning it on now, not letting up at all! He's gonna try for second, the ball is bobbled out in center, and… here comes the throw! And what a throw! He's gonna slide in head first! Here he comes, he's out! No, wait, safe! Safe at second base, this mammal really makes things happen out there! Batter steps up to the plate! Here's the pitch! Leika's going, and what a jump he's got, a cheetah would fade out beside this red flash! He's really trying for third! Here's the throw… and it's in the dirt! Safe at third! Colorblind chameleon, stolen base! He's taking a pretty big lead out there, almost daring him to try and pick him off! The pitcher glances over, winds up… and it's bunted! Bunted down the third base line, the suicide squeeze is on! Here he comes, squeeze play, it's gonna be close, here's the throw, here's the play at the… stripeless zebra, I think he's gonna make it!"_

* * *

They sat at a corner table in a pub near the stadium and all guests were in a wanton mood, singing and whooping it out – after the red fox Leika hit a home run, the Zootopia Red Paws won the match in the nick of time.

"That was incredible! I already saw us sitting there for another fifteen innings, and then – BAM!" Finnick banged his empty glass on the table. "The red flash strikes again, hitting a homerun in the bottom of the ninth with already two downs! You!" he pointed at Judy with a wide grin. "You are going to be the new mascot of the Red Paws after your performance!"

Judy snickered and blushed embarrassed. "Pipe down, before anyone hears you! I can't think what came over me to be so unrestrained in the public, I'm going bright red with shame if anyone at the precinct or at home saw this…"

"Fiddlesticks!" Fin bellowed and called the waitress, ordering his third pitcher of beer.

"If there really is a recording, I want a copy by all means!" Nick laughed. "So much for a rabbit cannot go savage, I got totally jumped! Like, literally!" he winked at his shamefaced bunny who mumbled something opaque. Then he turned to Finnick: "But better forget that mascot idea quickly, I'm the only red fox – or mammal in general – who is going to savor this cutie!"

Judy punched against his shoulder, making Nick concurrently wince and laugh. "Dumb fox!" she stuck her tongue out at him but also grinned somewhat.

The waitress finally brought Finnick his beer and the fennec fox clinked his glass with Nick's still first and half-full beer pitcher and Judy's normal-sized glass with carrot-juice. "Whatever! We won and that calls for a drink! Cheers!"

* * *

"So Nick pushed that gazelle aside and said: ' _It's all right, baby, I've had a course in first aid!_ ' She stood up and just watched our foxy hero take that fainted sheep's pulse and prepare to administer artificial respiration and at this point the gazelle just tapped him on the shoulder and said: ' _When you get to the part about calling a doctor, I'm already here'_ ". Finnick finished his story and burst into some loud and bousy laughter, slapping Nick on his thighs; Judy quickly joined in with her bright giggling.

They had spent nearly two hours in the pub after the baseball game, having a great time together talking about the past. When they decided to leave, Nick noticed that he had left his phone at their apartment and Judy had forgotten to charge hers last night so the battery was drained. So Finnick offered to drive them home with his van, but of course he was already way too drunk. Eventually the couple could persuade the fennec fox that Judy would drive his van instead and he could stay overnight in their guestroom to sleep off in return.

"I just tried to be helpful" Nick sighed with a lopsided sneer while his little bunny was already searching for a parking space in front of their apartment complex.

"With all due respect to your intentions, foxtrot" Judy was still giggling. "But in retrospective the whole situation is just hilarious".

"Watch out, Hoppsy-Copsy!" Finnick suddenly called out in mild panic when Judy reversed into a small parking space, but she just kept rolling and stopped the van with a perfect fit.

"I learned to drive on my parent's farm when I was thirteen. Your van is just a compact car compared to our farm tractor" she winked with a grin while pulling out the ignition key.

"Nobody likes show-offs, ye know?" the fennec fox snarled but Nick just snickered.

"Try going on patrol with her all day", he laughed while opening the door and jumped onto the sidewalk.

"It couldn't be worse than tolerating you for six years". Finnick hit out on Nick's offer to help him out of the van, jumped and made a tipsy landing beside the red fox.

"Careful, or you two can sleep in the van tonight" Judy smirked slyly while walking around the car, one paw on her hip.

"I would prefer my sly bunny, but it wouldn't be the first time I'd spend the night with Fin in his van", Nick laughed and put his arm around Judy's shoulders, giving her a soft kiss between the ears.

"No way, now that I know about you having a yen for small-ones with large ears!" Finnick wagged his paw at him, then looked around. "Wow, and you're really living in this swanky neighborhood? Didn't know that the filth is making such a packet! Or are you holding out your paws?" he snarled.

Judy's ears bobbed up immediately but Nick was faster and knocked the fennec fox with the paw on his head. "Never ever assume something like this again if you don't want me to go savage on you!" He smiled slightly, but his voice sounded somewhat threatening.

Finnick was too drunk to notice it, though, and just snickered: "Just joking, redhead. After you!"

Judy rolled her eyes and sighed, twitching on Nick's shirt: "Okay, it's house number 16. Let's go, I've really got a thrill of anticipation for a hot and steamy bath and some snuggling on the couch. With Nick, not you Fin!" she winked.

"Naa, no interest bunny. Also, never tamper with the partner of a friend, it's still Bro before Ho… eh… Hopps!"

Judy narrowed her eyes with a sassy grin. "Oh, you have no idea what you're missing out, we bunnies are really enthusiastic!"

They entered the house with their keycard and Nick called the elevator. "And I would definitely prefer to share this enthusiasm with nobody", he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and Judy smiled at him.

"Don't worry, I've no intentions of having it any other way".

"Not even with Evelin?" Nick giggled and when Judy looked embarrassed and shocked he started to laugh. "Just joking, sweetheart!"

"Who is Evelin?" Finnick slurred.

"She is my sister and best friend and no, I'm definitely not into her _this_ way! That was just a very strange dream, and _you_ were _not supposed_ to talk about it!" Judy blushed and punched Nick on his arm really hard this time.

They entered the elevator and Nick pushed the button for the fifth floor, still snickering. "Don't worry, Fin is too drunk to remember it tomorrow and I'm not blaming you for your dreams, carrots. Mine are much nastier sometimes", he winked.

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers. Let's just talk about something else, pretty please?" she looked up to him with those big and pleading eyes again that always melted Nick's heart.

When the elevator stopped, Finnick left the cabin first and grinned: "I think I want to meet this Evelin, what do you think?"

"Who are you? How do you know my wife?!" Sven came running down the hallway excitedly to the elevator. He had obviously waited in front of Nick's and Judy's apartment door for a while and was quite nervous.

"Sven? What are you doing here?" Judy left the elevator, too, with a questioning look.

"Didn't you want to pick up Evelin this afternoon?" Nick frowned a bit confused.

"She wasn't out and about with you two then?" now Sven sounded really worried. "And you don't know where she is?"

Judy smiled and put her arm soothingly around Sven's shoulders. "Don't worry, she didn't feel too well and was quite exhausted at midday today. She probably fell asleep and didn't hear the doorbell; come on, we are going to surprise her".

Sven was still worried, but Judy's explanation sounded reasonable.

"How long have you been waiting here?" Nick went ahead, fumbling for the latchkeys in his pocket.

"Three hours, more or less. I tried to call you both, but was only forwarded to your mailboxes. The same for Evelin. Because of this I thought you were maybe together in the cinema and just forgot the time…"

When Nick opened the door, Sven broke away from Judy and quickly walked into the apartment. "Whiskers?"

"Who's that rabbit now?" Finnick asked Nick while Judy hurried after Sven.

"Eve?" Judy called.

Both foxes entered the apartment last and Nick closed the door again. "That's Sven, Evelin's husband. Sorry, she is already taken, too" he winked but paused suddenly and slowly scented the air.

"Evelin?" – it was Sven's voice again, coming from the guestroom.

"Nick!" Judy yelled and sounded excited for the first time.

The red fox hurried into the living room and stopped right beside Judy who looked bewildered over the room: Two chairs were overturned as well as a flower vase and some decoration from the couch table. On one corner of the table some blood was visible.

"Still not cleaning up the house, foxxer? Thought you would be more tidy since you got married", Finnick snarled while entering the room slowly.

Judy was already kneeling in front of the couch table, examining the blood on the edge. "Maybe she fell and bumped her head against the table…"

"Maybe she was taken to the hospital, I will call them immediately!" Sven entered the room in the meantime, too, terrified, noticing the mess and the blood.

Nick on the other hand walked slowly to the kitchen counter, sniffing on some flowers. "Since when do we have scorpion grass?"

"You mean Myosotis Sylvatica? We don't have any, it's not in season right now", Judy answered and slowly stood up again. "And this is only a small stain of blood on the table, I don't think it's from a severe injury".

"It's up to you how you are calling them, but we have a vase with a single flower on our kitchen counter", Nick was picking up an envelope with his name written on it.

"That's strange, maybe Eve had picked them up", Judy walked to Nick, looking confused at the flower vase, then noticed the envelope in his paws. "What's that?"

"Don't know yet…" he showed her the envelope and could smell that Judy was getting really nervous.

"I just talked with the emergency department of the hospital, no rabbit was hospitalized today! Did you find anything new?" Sven hurried back into the living room, being even more nervous than Judy.

In the meantime, Nick had carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a small letter, reading it quietly and getting a more and more serious facial expression. When he noticed all eyes looking questioningly at him, he slowly gave the ransom note to Judy who read out loud, getting more pale with every line:

 _"Where have all the flowers gone  
Long time passing?  
Where have all the flowers gone  
Long time ago?  
Where have all the flowers gone  
Young bunnies picked them everyone.  
When will they ever learn?_

 _Where has this little bunny gone  
Long time passing?  
Where has this little bunny gone  
Long time ago?  
Where has this little bunny gone  
I snatched her, missed by anyone?  
Then better pay for her". _


	28. 3x07 - Scorpion Grass

_"I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid."_

 _George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings_

* * *

Evelin was glad that Sven had called and offered to pick her up in Zootopia on his way back home. Celebrating Judy's, Ralph's and Clara's birthday together was really fun, but it was really exhausting with her pregnancy and the train ride consequentially tedious. Also, she had started to miss Sven as he had spent a lot of time working at the office in over the last few months for their newest project. But finally, it seemed to pan out now, just some formal paperwork was still pending.

When her siblings and Nick hit the road after a quick lunch to get to the station, Evelin reclined on the couch and flipped through some magazine. She dozed off eventually and awoke with a start when the doorbell rang. On her way to the door she yawned; she would have to make some coffee for herself and Sven before they leave, they'll be driving for at least nearly two hours. While unlocking the door, she scented some fresh flowers – forget-me-not if she was right. What a nice gesture from Sven!

"Hey, darling! Great to see y…" she opened the door beaming with joy, but paused when it wasn't her husband that stood in front of her, but a muscular ram. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else. Can I help you?"

The voice of the ram was little more than a whisper and made Evelin instinctively shiver: "Are you Misses Hopps?"

"Well, yes, but…" the rabbit couldn't complete the sentence, because in the same moment the ram prized the door open with its shoulder and took something out of their pocket that looked similar to a gun. With a shocked squeal Evelin jumped back into the hallway, turned around and leaped to the living room – trying to reach her phone or at least something she could use as a defense. She sidestepped between the chairs at the dining table, but the ram was closing in on her and just kicked the chairs out of his way. Maybe she could barricade herself in Nick and Judy's bedroom? It had a quite massive wooden door with a lock. The bunny jumped frantically onto the couch table, another bold leap and she could turn the corner to the corridor leading to the bed- and bathroom. But the moment she tensed her legs for the saving jump, something sharp hit her on the back and she immediately got weak knees. Just moments later everything became blurred and she realized that she was falling down. When her head hit something hard, the world around her finally turned numb and black.

* * *

When Judy finished reading the letter aloud, her paws were shaking.

"What are you talking about? What does that mean? Where is Evelin?!" Sven was nearly losing it, his voice trembling and high-pitched.

Finnick stood dumbfounded next to the door, the alcohol clouding his mind and all those loud and excited rabbits were way too much to handle right now. Hadn't Nick said something about a guest bed earlier? He looked to his friend, but Nick was currently using his phone. Irritated, the little fox let himself fall onto a pillow that was lying on the floor.

Nick entered the emergency number into his smartphone and started to shove Sven in the direction of the hallway: "We must leave the apartment immediately, Sven, this is a crime scene now!"

"What is with Evelin? What's the point of all this, was…" Sven gesticulated and sounded desperate, panicking, but Nick had put his paw onto his shoulder and softly pushed him towards the door.

"That's a ransom note, it seems that…" he suddenly paused, then continued to speak with a calm and distinct voice into the phone: "This is Officer Nicholas Wilde, 10-10A, badge number 3-0-3-7-8. We have a 2-0-7, Code 2!"

In the meantime, a pale Judy walked towards Finnick, her voice was thin and trembling when she spoke: "Sorry, you have to leave the apartment, too. It's a crime scene and our colleague…" Judy didn't complete the sentence, though; her eyes were rolling and then she suddenly fainted, quickly caught by a surprised and quietly cursing Finnick.

"Nick! Come over here! There's something wrong with your bunny!" he screeched angrily under the sudden weight.

The fox had just radioed their address, still trying to persuade Sven to leave the flat, and turned around with a worried look on his face. When he saw Finnick struggling to hold the unconscious rabbit with his arms, he nearly dropped the phone.

"Bloody hell! Also 10-43, unconscious mammal, Code 2!" he yelled into his phone and ran back to the living room. "What happened, Fin?" he asked with mild panic in his voice, taking her pulse first, then softly stroked over her cheek.

"I have no idea", the little fox babbled roughly. "One moment she was bundling me off and the next thing I know is, she is lying on top of me".

Nick put his arms under Judy's legs and head, lifted her up and looked around at a loss. He couldn't bring her into their bedroom or to the couch, as both was part of the possible crime scene. Sven had followed him back into the living room, looking worried at his sister-in-law.

"Sweet cheese and carrots, what happened?" he asked, now even more desperate.

"I don't know… can you help Finnick, please? We should wait outside for our colleagues and a doctor". Nick tried his best to keep calm and concentrated, carrying Judy to the front door. Outside of their apartment he slowly sat down on the floor, took off his coat and leaned himself against the wall. After gently bedding his little bunny on his lap, he tucked her into his coat and stroked over her head with trembling paws.

Sven had collected Nick's phone and guided the fennec fox to the hallway. While Sven squatted worried beside Nick and Judy, Finnick snarled: "I'm in the back of my van if ye need me. Don't wanna talk with yer other fuzz friends, redhead". Nick wanted to object, but was distracted when Judy moved somewhat and muttered quietly. When he looked up again with a pleading look on his face, his drunk friend was already entering the elevator and the red fox sighed.

"Who was that fox? A friend of yours?" Sven asked with a weary voice and Nick nodded slowly. "And he is really bailing on you now? Wow…" he crawled over Judy's cheek.

"He is okay, he… just don't like cops and also drank too much" Nick talked quietly and smiled softly when Judy slowly opened her eyes again. "Hey, carrots".

"Nick… what happened?" she tried to sit up but was still too dizzy.

"You scared the heck out of us, Ju" Sven stroked over her head and ears, but still seemed absent-minded.

"Evelin!" Judy gasped suddenly and nearly passed out again.

"Shh… keep calm and take a deep breath. I already called our colleagues, they should arrive any minute and I also called for a doctor".

"Did you call Doctor Alisson?" she asked quietly.

"No, I ordered one via the emergency call. It's Sunday evening, I don't think that Doctor Alisson is available now", the fox talked soothingly.

"She has a phone number for emergencies, it's saved in our address book". When Nick wanted to object, she closed her eyes and contorted with pain. "Nick, please… I don't want some foreign and over-worked doctor on call to examine me".

Nick sighed and nodded slowly, Judy always felt uneasy with medics but came to trust Doctor Alisson by now. He was looking in his pants pockets for his phone but Sven still had it in his paw and asked: "Let me give you a hand, what should I dial?"

"It's Doctor Kathrin Alisson, you should use the mobile number", Judy answered and turned her face to Sven. "I'm so sorry because of Evelin. Our colleagues will find her, I'm sure. They are really good at their job".

"Can you lend me your phone in the meantime?" Nick asked his brother-in-law. "I have to call our dispatcher to cancel the doctor on call".

The male rabbit just nodded gloomily, gave Nick his own phone and stood up, strolling up and down the hall. "Hello? Good evening, Doctor Alisson. My name is Sven Brooks, I'm the brother-in-law of one of your patients, Misses Judy Hopps-Wilde…"

Meanwhile Nick quickly dialed the number of the ZPD reception desk to cancel the called doctor; Judy's thoughts drifted away to Evelin, the mess in their living room and the ransom note. She still couldn't conceive the whole situation and what happened; why was Evelin of all people kidnapped? And why while she was staying at their home? Her head and chest were aching viciously and she closed her eyes again, groaning quietly.

"… yes, she is conscious again, but she is still in pain. Yes, her husband is currently caring for her. Okay… yes, the address is correct. Thank you, till later then". Sven hung up the call, then squatted again beside Nick and Judy. "You should take one of your pills for the pain, drink some water and stay in bed. Doctor Alisson will arrive in about twenty minutes", he tried to smile comfortingly and put his paw on Judy's arm.

She just nodded; Nick swapped phones with Sven and said quietly: "Thank you". He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the small pillbox.

"I'll ask your neighbors for a glass of water" Sven stood up again, trying to stay busy to not go insane.

Nick nodded and eventually put one of the small pills into Judy's mouth; she swallowed it whole and grimaced.

"Where's Finnick?" she turned her head somewhat to look for the small fox.

"He said that he would lay down in his van. You know he doesn't like cops, also he's drunk and would not be much help, anyway", Nick answered but Judy was suddenly all teary-eyed and started to sob quietly. He cradled her a bit tighter, stroking her head.

"Do you have a tissue?" she sniveled quietly. "I don't want to look tear-stained when our colleagues arrive".

The fox searched in his pockets, then pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Judy who blew her nose and wiped off some tears. Sven walked back to them, a small water bottle in his paws.

"Here, Ju… have a sip and best wishes from your neighbors, those lions", he said with a trembling voice when his ears suddenly bobbed up and he turned his head towards the elevator. When the doors opened, he quickly walked towards the four mammals in uniform – a jaguar, two wolfs and a lion – and started to talk insistently to them.

"Who is it?" Judy was still too weak to sit up and asked Nick who held one paw up to greet their colleagues.

"Marki, Bradley, Wolford and Delgato" Nick said quietly and took the bottle she was handing him back.

"The department head of the BAU and our chief forensic technician? Are things in such a bad way?" Judy sounded worried but had problems keeping her eyes open and didn't hear Nick's answer.

"Nick, sorry to see you again under such circumstances". It was Detective Marki who approached them first, shaking Nick's paw. "Are you okay, Judy?" the wolf looked worried to the pale rabbit who just slowly shook her head in silence.

"She didn't feel well the whole day already and passed out earlier, now being in pain. I already called our doctor, but she really should go to bed. We didn't want to compromise the crime scene, though, maybe you can perpetuate evidence and give clearance for the bedroom first", Nick explained as calm as possible, but the quiet pleading in his voice and his uneasy facial expression of course didn't slip the profilers attention.

Marki nodded and after Wolford and Delgato also greeted their colleagues quietly, the three officers entered the apartment. Bradley came last and had an aluminum suitcase with forensic equipment in each paw.

"Your friend said you found a ransom note with a poem?" the jaguar asked after a short greeting.

Nick nodded slowly, "The letter was in an envelope with my name written on it, laying on our kitchen counter. Sven can show you where exactly. I think Judy dropped it near the couch table when she passed out", he turned his head to Evelin's husband who nodded eagerly and followed Bradley into the apartment, too. The fox cradled his little bunny who was out of things again and sighed. This turned out to really be a month of hell.

* * *

The first thing Evelin perceived was a moldy smell, then her headache, a hard underground she was laying on, a pain in her muscles and finally some rope she was constrained with. Her mouth was bound with a gag and when she tried to blink she noticed a rough blindfold. When she noticed the slow movement of her kits in her belly, she breathed more calmly. What had happened? Evelin remembered the birthday weekend with Judy and her older siblings. They wanted to take the train back to Bunnyburrow, didn't they? No – she was feeling exhausted and Sven called. She fell asleep on the couch while reading something.

A cold breeze blew over her legs and the rabbit shivered, she only wore a large and convenient dress. The wind came through little cracks, she could hear it sough through some broken windows. Some metal rustled against metal. Maybe an old storage building? Or a basement? Her muscles were still aching and even without the rope she would be unable to move. Where for carrots sake was she? And why was she here? It was getting harder to concentrate and finally the world vanished behind a black and blurry curtain again.

* * *

Wolford and Delgato examined Nick and Judy's living room, the turned over chairs, the broken decoration on the couch table and the blood on the table itself. All of it was signed with a small number and was photographed, then Wolford started to examine the blood stain on the table closer with some chemicals. Delgato used a forensic light and colored glasses to search for other evidence that's not visible in normal light. Bradley had digitally scanned the ransom note and sent it to his office for further examinations and now were connecting the landline to his computer and paired Sven's, Judy's and Nick's cellphones via Bluetooth with a spy-tool to record and track incoming calls.

Marki examined the main bedroom and the bathroom, now talking quietly on his radio when another elderly rabbit he didn't know suddenly entered the apartment. "Excuse me, Ma'am, but this is a crime scene and no visitors are currently allowed in this flat".

"So you are the Officer in charge?" the rabbit asked and Marki nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am, and you are?"

"I'm Doctor Kathrin Alisson and the family doctor of Misses and Mister Hopps-Wilde. As you could possible already notice, Misses Hopps-Wilde is not only pregnant but also not in good condition. I just want to ask how much longer it will take until we can bring her into her bedroom? Because I'm not able or willing to examine her publicly in the hallway and as stubborn as this young couple is, they also don't want to go into my medical office or the hospital". Doctor Alisson had rattled off quite a monologue, but wasn't disrespectful to the Detective – just really determined to get the best result for her patient.

Marki smiled softly, and nodded to Delgato to examine the short hallway between the living room and the bedroom and bathroom with the forensic light next. "Please, give us just five more minutes for some last examinations and you can relocate Officer Hopps to her bedroom. I promise, it's for her own good".

Doctor Alisson nodded and walked with quick steps out of the apartment again. Nick was still sitting on the floor, holding Judy carefully in his arms and watching how she regained consciousness and lost it just a few moments later again.

"You can bring her into your bedroom in a few minutes". The older rabbit squatted beside them and felt Judy's forehead, took her pulse and then carefully palpated her stomach with her paw under the coach. "Your kids seem quite active, that's a positive sign. But her forehead seems to be rather cold and her pulse is way too fast. Maybe it's really just the shock, but you said she wasn't feeling too well for the whole day?"

Nick nodded and quickly explained their shopping-tour and the party last night, and that Judy felt exhausted already for the whole day and seemed to have more pain than usual.

"I have some assumptions, but I want to examine her first. It's good that you hold her the whole time in your coat it's keeping her warm – and I bet listening to your heartbeat is also comforting to her. I would guess you don't have to worry too much about her". She smiled encouragingly, but Nick identified her assurance as just a commonplace phrase as she wasn't sure yet. He said similar things to crime victims in the past to assure them that everything is under control and will get better, just to calm them down.

"Okay, Delgato and I have secured a path to the bedroom and gave clearance to that room. You can bring her there, Nick. But I want to talk to you later and for you, Doctor Alisson, I have to ask you to temporarily stay in that room with your patient, too. Just to make sure, nobody alters something in the other rooms". Marki stood in the doorframe.

Nick nodded, and very slowly and carefully to not bump Judy's head against the wall or doorframe, stood up and followed the Timber Wolf back into their apartment, Doctor Alisson with her doctor's bag right behind them. While crossing the living room, Nick noticed Sven sitting with a nervous facial expression on one of the bar chairs at the kitchen counter, right beside Bradley and talking with the jaguar. Wolford was examining some fiber or fur under a small microscope. When they finally entered Nick's and Judy's own bedroom, Marki stood tactful at the doorframe, his face looking away from the room. The fox laid his little bunny carefully onto the big bed, shoved two pillows under her head and removed his coat, throwing it carelessly onto a nearby chair.

"Okay, thank you. Maybe it's better if you two leave us now so I can examine her…" Doctor Alisson suggested with a friendly smile.

Marki nodded and already left the room, but when Nick wanted to go reluctantly, Judy suddenly put her paw on his arm. He turned his head and the rabbit had opened her eyes again for a moment, looking at him with a pleading facial expression. Nick put his own paw on hers and turned to their doctor.

"Would you mind if…" he began but didn't need to speak any further.

"Of course, Mr. Hopps-Wilde. I want her to be comfortable, and when she wants you at her side that's okay with me". She smiled, put her stethoscope on and pulled a medical thermometer from her bag. She held the thermometer for only a moment into her ears until it beeped. "You have a slightly elevated temperature. Don't worry, I have to lift your pullover up to listen to your heartbeat and that of your kits".

Judy nodded slowly, her nearly closed eyes fixated on Nick the whole time, who was stroking his thumb over her paw that was still resting on his arm.

"Your brother said on the phone that you have some pain?" – Doctor Alisson asked and Judy nodded a bit. "In your chest?" – the little rabbit nodded again. "Also somewhere else?", the doctor asked while palpating her stomach and belly. But it didn't slip her attention, that Judy wasn't answering immediately now. "Misses Hopps-Wilde?"

The rabbit grabbed Nick's arm even tighter now, her eyes getting teary. "Judy? You have to tell us everything now, please". Nick said soothingly, sensing that his little rabbit was getting more and more afraid.

A lot of her patients were somewhat embarrassed to talk about their female body parts, and this rabbit was even under shock and most probably afraid of something serious. It was essential to comfort her or the examination could even get painful, something Doctor Alisson didn't want by no means. "You don't need to be afraid, Judy. Your husband is at your side and I'm being as careful as possible. But I need to know what's going on with your body to help you and your kits. Do you also have some pain in your womb area?" Doctor Alisson asked quietly and empathetically. After a few seconds Judy finally nodded and started to snivel. "Okay, I have to take a look if you are bleeding. I promise that I will be really careful and will not hurt you". When Judy nodded again, she slowly started to unbutton Judy's Jeans and turned to Nick. "Could you please close the door? We need some privacy here".

"Shall I wait outside?" Nick asked quietly after getting up and already having the door knob in his paw.

"No… please…" Judy whispered quietly; Nick nodded and after closing the door he sat beside his little rabbit on the edge of the bed again. She was obviously afraid because of the reason for her pain, and that was also the reason she didn't mention it before. Doctor Alisson had slowly undressed her Jeans and panties and had put on some gloves; while she started to examine the scared bunny, Nick looked into Judy's eyes with a soft smile, crawling over her cheek and singing very quietly:

"Soft bunny, Warm bunny, Little ball of fur, happy bunny, sleepy bunny, purr purr purr".

Judy smiled and finally calmed down somewhat.

"Okay, everything with your pregnancy seems to be fine so far. There is no sign for a pre-eclampsia, don't worry". The older rabbit took the blanket and covered her patient with it. "But I have to take a quick blood test to finish my diagnosis, it's just a short pin-prick in your paw…" she took Judy's paw in the meantime already and while speaking with her she had quickly pricked her and collected the few drops of blood with a control strip before Judy could even realize what was going on.

"You don't have to worry because you fainted this evening. Your body is already massively enfeebled by your pregnancy and your injured chest, along with too little sleep. But the additional emotional stress of your sister being kidnapped right now was just too much and caused your whole body to shut down".

"Why is this pregnancy such a massive stress for her? Her sister is a few weeks ahead and does feel much better, though" Nick still sounded worried.

"Crossbreeds often develop somewhat faster during pregnancy, that is not uncommon. Compared to a common rabbit pregnancy I would say your wife is already in her fourth or even fifth week, not her third. That's causing quite some stress to her body, but as she's only getting two kits that's not really a problem right now".

"Right now?" Judy whispered weary and terrified.

Doctor Alisson smiled and put her paw soothingly on Judy's shoulder. "Don't worry, Misses Hopps-Wilde. This is your first litter and with your fetuses being crossbreeds it will be somewhat more intense and exhausting, as your body has more to do than under normal circumstances. That's also the reason your fetuses are consuming specific minerals and vitamins much faster than normal, making you feel tired. I will write a new prescription for you to compensate for this and even if it's too early to be sure, but you should contemplate that a C-section will be the better option for birth. But that's really nothing to worry about right now and we will have enough time to talk about the details together in the upcoming weeks".

The older rabbit stopped shaking the control strip with the blood and looked at it, then nodded. "Well, that's quite what I expected". She put it down and pulled a small syringe and two small bottles with a clear fluid from her bag.

"Wait, what are you up to?" Nick asked worried.

"This is something to lower her IgG levels, it's really harmless", Doctor Alisson explained.

Judy started to look mildly panicked at Nick and the fox asked again. "What are those IgG levels, and why do you have to lower them? Is it something dangerous?"

Doctor Alisson smiled softly, put the syringe down and turned her head to them both while folding her paws. "Okay, to put it simply… part of our cells and an important part for our cell-cell interactions are so called glycoproteins. It's not only an important part of the immune system but also for tasks such as cell trafficking or host-pathogen interactions. The most famous example for this latter effect is our blood system and the different blood groups. Well, rabbits naturally have different glycoproteins on the surface of their red blood cells as foxes, and they are not compatible. During reproduction between same species it's only rarely a problem, a few of them have something that is called a rhesus factor that can be problematic under specific circumstances, but even if that's not the problem here, it has the same effect. The proteins on the blood cells of your fetuses are a mold of fox and rabbit ones. Nothing harmful, in general, but your body, Judy, is already producing antibodies against those fox proteins. When I took a first blood test last week I already noticed this and it was also to be expected: You both are together for quite a while, sharing bodily fluids with every kiss, and…" she paused diplomatically and smiled. "Well, anyway, the concentration of antibodies wasn't really high, yet, but as your pregnancy is proceeding rather fast, this can become more and more of a problem and that's why I want to give you this, it reduces the fox-antibodies in your blood and keeps your fetuses safe".

"Are you saying I'm allergic to Nick?!" Judy asked weepily.

"Your body just recognized foreign proteins and created antibodies against them. You could call it some sort of allergy, yes, but it is nothing harmful. There is only some small risk for the fetuses when being pregnant, but we can simply suppress your body's natural reaction and everything will be fine, I promise".

"And my additional pain is…?" Judy asked quietly.

"Your body is exhausted from healing your chest wound and as I said the pregnancy is way more demanding than it would normally be. Additionally, your immune system thinks it has to fight a non-existent infection. Your whole body is working at its limit right now, even a small tension can feel like a stab wound right now. But don't worry, your two kits are even now really active and they both have a strong heartbeat. You just have to spare yourself even more, staying in bed or on the couch most of the time would be ideal".

Judy nodded slowly and Nick smiled softly. "I will be even more watchful from now on, carrots".

Doctor Alisson sterilized a small spot on Judy's arm, gave her the injection and asked Nick to hold a dab of rouge on it for a few minutes. Judy babbled more and more quietly with Nick; he couldn't understand a word but still stroked her cheek soothingly and gave her a kiss on the forehead. After a minute or two Judy's eyes stayed closed and her arms went limp, breathing slowly and deeply.

"Doctor…?" Nick asked somewhat worried.

"It's okay, Mister Hopps-Wilde. I also gave her a very light sedative. The whole evening was too much stress and she desperately has to sleep deeply without any pain for a few hours so her body can recover". She pulled off a prescription from her pad and put it on the nightstand. "These are some new combined drugs to compensate her body's increased needs during the pregnancy and you should try to keep her stress levels as low as possible, if you have any questions or there is only the slightest change in her wellbeing, just call me day or night!" she smiled. "I really hope you find her sister soon enough. She is also pregnant?"

"Yes, and as far as I know she is due in about a week or even less. We are really concerned, the rabbit in the next room is her husband".

"Maybe you should also call me as soon as you find her sister and I will have a look at her, too. The doctor on call the ZPD calls in emergency cases isn't really trained for pregnant mammals in such a late phase".

Nick shook Doctor Alisson's paw and smiled slightly. "Thank you, Doctor". Then he turned his head to the closed door. "Well, I should go and talk with our colleagues. Can you stay with her for a while? I don't want Judy to be alone right now".

"Of course, I will just sit down on that chair over there. After you can enter the kitchen again it would be nice to get some tea, and also some water for Judy when she wakes up again".

"I'm doing the best I can. See you later!" – Then he hesitated and leaned forward to Judy, giving her a soft kiss. "I love you".

* * *

Evelin was sobbing quietly, everything was still dark around her and she was getting really cold. She had no idea how much time had passed since she opened the apartment door. Maybe two hours? Six hours? Even more? With every try to move the bonds on her arms and legs were cutting into her skin. She winced when she could hear some metal bar and the moving sound of a heavy door. Freezing in place she tried to listen to every sound or voice – there were hooves coming down a short wooden stairs, then walking on concrete floor in her direction. A big and heavy animal judging by his heavy breathing.

"You don't need to simulate, Misses Hopps. I know that you are awake. I must confess that you are not one of my usual kind of victims, but my customer was very accurate with his wishes and is really paying good. But don't worry, it's not me who is going to kill you, I promise". The voice was speaking very quiet, nearly whispering, but also deathly cold. With some quiet laughing he slowly walked away again and locked the door with some loud metal noise.

Evelin started only to sob at first, but soon she was weeping bitterly and started to pray, thinking of all her friends and family. She wasn't ready to die and the panic was growing even bigger now.

* * *

"Okay, what's the word guys?" Nick entered the living room with a weary look on his face, searching for Marki.

"Are you sure you're okay, Nick?" Bradley asked worried, "I mean, of course you are not, but…"

"Just give me a short status update, Brad" the fox sighed and had a look around where Wolford and Delgato were writing notes for some evidence. Marki was sitting with Sven on some bar chairs at the kitchen counter, talking quietly, but Sven's feet were shaking nervously.

Bradley nodded and started to explain: "We found some splinters of wood near the entrance door, but the lock itself is undamaged. It's likely that the victim op…"

"Her name is Evelin" Nick said involuntarily, his voice maybe being one shade too harsh, but the jaguar just nodded.

"Of course. Well, it's likely that Evelin opened the door after someone rang the doorbell. We found some partial prints, but they are useless. She was waiting for her husband and couldn't use the peephole as it was above her reach. The intruder pushed the door open, presumably with his shoulders, so we can assume he is a rather large and strong mammal. Beside those wooden splinters we also found a single flick of fur of a male Ovis gmelini, a Mufflon. The DNA is in our database, it was found four years ago at another kidnapping crime-scene. But we have no name or face to it, sorry. We think that he didn't get hold of her immediately, but the ra… I mean Evelin tried to flee through your living room. We are also not quite sure whereto she wanted to run, but most probably she tried to reach one of the rear rooms to barricade it up. Either the attacker finally outran her when she reached the table and they fought, therefore the blood. Or the attacker used something like a stun gun or a pole syringe to subdue her and she injured herself on the table while falling to the ground. Anyway the blood is of a female rabbit".

Nick had walked a few meters to the couch table, squatted beside it and took a careful smell of her blood. The odor made him shiver slightly, but he could especially smell both Evelin's scent and her pregnancy hormones. But there was something different. Something more chemical. He took another sniff and closed his eyes. The scent of rabbit blood was overwhelming, but by now he was used to it and could block it out – there was something else… not from the blood stain, but in the close proximity.

"Everything okay, Nick?" Bradley asked worried, but the fox just lifted his paw and concentrated on the smell. He then lowered his head to the carpet and moved a bit to the side. After he took a last long sniff, he hold his paw up again and asked for some chalk. Without knowing what Nick had found, Bradley gave him a piece of chalk they used to mark small evidence on clothes and similar materials. The fox made a small circle on the carpet, then got up again.

"You should take a sample from this spot. Something chemical dropped onto it, maybe a narcotic substance".

"Are you sure?" Wolford stepped beside Bradley with a skeptical look on his face. "I examined the whole couch table and the carpet, but couldn't scent anything but the rabbit blood – and I'm trained to differentiate a lot of scents".

"It's not your fault, Wolford", Nick said quietly. "I have just spent enough time with rabbits to recognize other smells that are overlapped by their hormones and even if it's really subtle, it's definitely not from a rabbit or something natural altogether".

Wolford just shrugged his shoulders, he didn't want to argue with someone who was clearly under stress and one more sample couldn't do any harm. He took a cotton swab and even cut a few fibers of the carpet – bagging both as evidence and labeling it for their forensic lab.

Marki had finished his talk with Sven and was currently talking with Delgato, so Nick walked up to his brother-in-law and carefully put his paws on his shoulders. As expected, Sven winced terrified, but sighed relieved when he saw the fox.

"Oh Nick!" he sobbed and flung his arms around his neck. Nick softly patted his back and waited for the rabbit to become calm again. "How could this happen? I mean, why does someone even kidnap a pregnant mammal, that's just cruel! Evelin has never done any harm to anyone, she is the purest and most kind-heartedness Rabbit!" Sven sounded desperate and Nick sighed again.

"Even if it's only a weak solace for you, but I don't think that they wanted to kidnap Evelin".

"What are you talking about, Nick? They sure didn't kidnap her unintentionally!"

"I think that this is exactly what happened" Nick said quietly.

"I see you are thinking the same as me", Marki said, suddenly standing behind them.

"What are you two talking about? Officer? Nick?" Sven's voice was trembling.

Marki looked questioningly to Nick who breathed deeply: "Two rabbits, both sisters of nearly the same age, looking almost the same, both pregnant, kidnapped from our apartment, the ransom note that is addressed with my name… all evidence suggests that they wanted to kidnap Judy, not Evelin, but they mixed them both up".

The timber wolf nodded impressed. "Even under stress you still have the ball under your feet and prove to have a sharp mind. Yes, we leaped to the same conclusion – when her sister opened the door to your apartment, they saw an almost similar looking and pregnant rabbit and thought they caught Judy. This is also the reason why the ransom note is addressed to you, Nick, and not you, Mister Brooks". The chief of the behavior analysis unit viewed Nick carefully, then asked slowly: "Any other deductions?"

"I have no interest to give you a great show, there is no time to play games! We don't have a quarter-million Zollars and until now _he_ was always clever enough to only blackmail those families who could theoretically pay the ransom money. Kidnapping Evelin or Judy is abnormal" Nick said on edge.

"What?! A quarter-million Zollars ransom money? But… but wherefrom… I mean, there said nothing in that letter, wherefrom do you know this amount? Did you find another note? NICK!?" Sven's desperate pinched-up voice was nearly screaming.

Marki whispered something to Wolford and then turned to Sven: "Please calm down, Mister Brooks. Right now it's only a working hypothesis and we cannot be sure that…"

"Where is Evelin?! What have you done to my wife, you scumbag of a bloodthirsty predator!" the rabbit was getting out of control, jumped against the dumbstruck fox and started to beat him fiercely. Nick just held his arms up in front of his face but refrained from fighting back. Sven didn't know what he was doing, his very pregnant wife was kidnapped and he was a nervous wreck. It hurt – not the punches, but the accusations – but he knew that the rabbit didn't mean it and was just desperate.

Marki grabbed Sven and easily secured him to the floor, holding him tight. In the meantime, Wolford came back with a worried looking Doctor Alisson in tow. But even before she could say anything, Marki already held a small device against Sven's arm and only seconds later the rabbit's body went limp.

Nick pulled himself together and wanted to protest, but Wolford already lifted the rabbit up and carried him to the guestroom, a ranting and raving Doctor Alisson hurrying behind: "Using those tranquilizer guns without an emergency is just wrong, I could have given him something to just relax somewhat instead of brutally knocking him off like a savage predator! That was absolutely unnecessary!"

Marki got up on his feet again. "Your friend was panicking the whole evening and his nervous breakdown just now forced me into action. I understand that he is worried about his wife, but attacking another ZPD officer was stretching the point and I didn't want to arrest him, either. This was the best option in my opinion".

Nick disagreed with Marki, this was indeed absolutely unnecessary. After all, the timber wolf was the department head of the behavioral analysis unit, he knows exactly how stressful this situation must be and how helpless and abused Sven must have felt. Holding him down, talking to him – that would have been appropriate. But stunning a small and unarmed rabbit with a tranquilizer gun that could knock out even elephants? That was definitely an over-reaction Nick would have never expected from this mammal.

But for now he tried to block out those thoughts, Evelin was in need of his full concentration right now. He guessed there would be some interesting talks with Doctor Carter about it in the next few days about 'trusting your colleagues' again…

"Delgato, Wolford. You two bring our evidence to the lab, we only have a short time frame and need the results as fast as possible!" The two officers nodded, took two boxes with bags and other materials and left the apartment while Marki took the fox by his arm and they walked a few meters, finally sitting down on the couch.

"Okay, Wilde. How much do you know exactly?" Marki asked with a calm but attentive voice.

Nick breathed deeply and closed his eyes, going through his memory palace, searching for the information…

"He calls himself the Forget-me-not Kidnapper", the red fox slowly started after a short while. "He always leaves the same ransom note together with a vase and a single forget-me-not flower, also called Scorpion Grass, at the scene of the kidnapping. The letter itself is always the same first two verses of the poem 'Where have all the flowers gone', originally written as a song by a badger named Pete Seeger. But he replaces the word 'children' from the original with the species of the kidnapped animal, always being a female prey of a wealthy family. A few hours after the kidnapping he contacts the dependents, with a ransom demand in the amount of 250, 000 Zollars, to be transferred to a foreign-numbered account within 12 hours. There is only this one-time contact, he never calls a second time and there are no further negotiations. When the money is transferred, the kidnapped victim is released within a few hours, often confused and disoriented. But if nobody paid the full amount after those 12 hours, the victim is never found or heard of again – supposedly being dead. No corpse was ever found after that, it's currently unknown what he does with them. The perpetrator was called by the press the Forget-me-not kidnapper because of the flower that's left behind. There are eight known cases, five times the family had payed and got the kidnapped mammal back. The last time it is known that he was active is six years ago – not counting tonight".

Nick finished his recital and Marki stayed quite for a while. "That is exactly what we wrote in our internal profile. Maybe not word-for-word, but… I'm still bowled over".

"I read most of the profiles of former and current serial offenders during Judy's profiler training and I'm good at… remembering things, Sir". Nick smiled wearily; he recognized the specific signature of the kidnapper the moment he read the poem. But he also knew, that relatives are always the main suspects during a kidnapping, and his special knowledge and the fact that it was ' _accidentally_ ' Evelin who was waiting in their apartment made him probably even more suspicious.

The timber wolf was still viewing him quietly, presumably thinking about the possibility of Nick being involved in the crime somehow.

"You already proved that you have an exceptional memory on Bale's case and your keen perception would make you quite a talented profiler".

Nick didn't react to Marki's comment. "But the profile gives no explanation wherefrom the kidnapper knows if the family is basically able to pay the ransom money or not. He never kidnapped someone when there was nothing to get. It's assumed that there is some sort of insider, but in this case now? I swear on my unborn kits life, that our savings are nowhere near enough. We are doing fine, but 250.000 Zollars? That's just impossible".

Marki nodded slowly, "That's a strange discrepancy to his usual behavior. But we already have a plan", he waved his paw to Bradley, who was currently typing on his mobile computer. The jaguar walked up to them, putting his computer down on the table. "Explain our plan to Nick, Brad. I'm going to check on the wellbeing of the victim's husband" Marki said and walked over to the guestroom.

Nick clenched his fists – their names were 'Sven' and 'Evelin'! Would it be too much to ask to treat them as mammals and not just some anonymous person of interest? He just wasn't able to keep a sufficient emotional distance – the offenders were degrading their victims already, shouldn't the ZPD be somewhat better?

"Okay, as soon as we get the account number from the kidnapper, I'm using one of our newest tools to hack into the bank account", Bradley started to explain and Nick turned his attention to the jaguar. "Then I can manipulate the incoming and outgoing transfers and also put a tracer on the account. We are creating virtual transfers as if someone is really transferring money to that account. At the same time, we get informed by the tracer whenever someone accesses the account to check it's balance", Bradley explained with some pride in his voice.

"Isn't hacking into the banking account illegal and could cause trouble during a lawsuit? Maybe we should just ask the bank for their cooperation", Nick asked, having no interest to let some criminals get away because of a formal error.

"We are cooperating with most domestic banking institutes, but with foreign banks it's often a week-long wrangling. That's what's ' _Samaritan'_ is for, that's the name of the tooling. It leaves no traces on its own and we only use it with a judicial writ, so theoretically there are no problems during a lawsuit. The only problem is, that we only have a short time frame to react: When someone tries to access the virtual transfers, the tracer informs us about their location. But as these transfers are not real, the verification during a remittance or a withdrawal fails after a short while and the whole illusion will be corrected by the original banking servers".

"So we can only hope that they are just having a short look at their balance and they release Evelin before they try to cover their traces by transferring everything to a few other accounts?" Nick sounded contrite about that plan.

"Yes, that's a risk. But without using real money transfers I can do nothing to prevent this".

"I'm still not sure if they are really after that money. They already proved to have changed their selection of kidnapping victims. What if they want something different? Or they want the money in cash this time? We are setting up the whole plan on just an early assumption!" Nick protested.

"You have to learn to trust on the profile, Wilde!" Marki said with a nearly commanding voice. "You heard Bradley, it takes some time to fake those transfers and even after that we have to act really quickly before they notice it's only an illusion. The Forget-me-not Kidnapper has been following the same scheme now for more than six years. It's working because most kidnappers are caught due to long negotiations or during an in-person money-transfer. He perfected his method, but that also makes it predictable".

"And it's also proof that this kidnapper is not dumb. He wouldn't kidnap someone when the family isn't at least theoretically able to pay! But he is not only doing this one mistake, but trying to kidnap a cop? And then even mixing-up the victims? Those are three serious mistakes done by someone who didn't make a single one in six years!"

"OK, that's enough, Wilde. I appreciate your help as you are a colleague, but you're also only a victim. We know exactly what we are doing, so better have a look for your wife and keep calm until we get this phone ca…"

The landline was ringing in this very moment, the tracking software showed an unknown caller somewhere in Zootopia. Bradley pushed a few buttons to start the recording and location tracking, then gave a sign with his paw to Nick to answer the phone.

* * *

"What do you mean, I didn't kidnap the right rabbit? She looks exactly like on your photo and she was even at home when…" the ram snarled angrily through the phone.

"You dare to contradict me?" the voice wasn't more than a scary whisper.

"No, never! I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" the ram answered quickly and ruefully. "I will kill her immediately and will disperse all evidence".

"No, not yet. Maybe this is a fortunate coincidence and we'll get them both to suffer even more now. Continue with phase two, I will take care of the rest".

"Phase two, understood!"

The phone call between the two conspirators ended and the ram contritely walked up and down the small room. He had never made an error in all these years! The ram tried to calm down again, he would need all of his energy this evening. With a dark grin he took Evelin's phone, dialed a written down number and when someone answered it he started to playback the pre-recorded message.

* * *

When Nick answered the phone call, the song 'Where have all the flowers gone' was running in the background like it was being played by a wooden music box. A distorted, mechanical voice said slowly: "250.000 Zollars, account number 1-1-6-0-6-7-0-3-6-0-3-5-0-7-0-0-4. Or your little bunny is gone forever in twelve hours".

The call already ended even before Nick could say a single word. He turned around to Bradley who was already typing a lot of commands into his computer. Marki was already on the radio, ordering the special weapons and tactical task force as assistance to go into standby, waiting for a location.

Nick slowly walked to the bedroom. Marki made it clear, that he was no longer part of this investigation and his opinion no longer asked for. Maybe the wolf was right, he was definitely emotionally involved and not objective. When he entered his and Judy's bedroom, he saw his wife sleeping peacefully and with an eased facial expression. Nick sat down on the floor, leaning against Judy's nightstand, and laid his head on the mattress, his nose touching the rabbits arm gently. While stroking his thumb over her paw, he took a deep breath, letting her scent taint his senses. But his only thoughts were of Evelin, trying to imagine how she must feel right now, and how he was unable to do anything to help or support Judy's little sister.


	29. 3x08 - There is a Limit to Everything

_"When you find that one person who connects you to the world, you become someone different, someone better. When that person is taken from you, what do you become then?"_

 _John Reese (Person of Interest)_

* * *

20:47 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (work room)

"The caller ID identified the mobile number of Evelin Hopps in Bunnyburrow, so he used his victim's device. No GPS data available, but the cell-tower triangulation is still going-on, done in ten minutes! Right now trying to access the device via remote commands, but it seems that the batteries were removed" Bradley announced while Marki was still on the radio. In parallel he identified the account number being related to a foreign bank in the Caribbean. "Samaritan will need about an hour to lodge itself into the banking servers, creating the virtual transfers will take additional ten minutes".

"Two mobile task forces are on standby in about five minutes, also a helicopter with a thermal imaging camera is ready for operation. As soon as we have an approximate location from the cellphone, team alpha is send out to comb the district" Marki explained.

Nick was still sitting on the floor in their bedroom, quietly listening to the voices outside of the room. He was doubting that the first tac-team would produce any results: The kidnapper would not have used the phone at the same location he was keeping hold of Evelin. But even when: A location by triangulating the signal from the cell-towers would produce a radius of several hundred meters and they had no clue for what they are searching. An apartment building? An old factory or warehouse? Some kind of basement? The thermal imaging camera was of no use, too, unless there is nothing but Evelin and the kidnapper in the whole area, maybe deep in the woods in a cottage. But there was no clue suggesting something like this.

And with the banking tracer… the kidnapper could be accessing the account from a totally different location again, maybe even sitting in a Starpaws drinking some coffee while checking the account balance regularly. Even if the tac-team would be able to catch him, they still had no idea where Evelin would be. And interrogating him could take hours, if he (or she) has a good lawyer probably with even no result.

Nick's stomach was convulsing – he just couldn't see how this whole operation could end in a positive way for his friend and sister-in-law. And paying the kidnapper? Nick already calculated several times their savings, possible credits and people he could ask for a loan – but a quarter million Zollars was way too much. Except… the new thought he got caused even more pain in his stomach: Asking Mister Big for help. But even with Judy being the godmother of his grandchild, how should they ever pay him back? As being ZPD officers the fox could imagine what the Mafia don would demand in return. They would be completely and utterly at his mercy, nothing he could consider seriously.

But then, he saw Evelin's beautiful face again – nothing too hard to imagine, as he just had to raise his head to look at sleeping Judy. It was a rogue image when he thought about the younger sister, maybe she was just now being tortured or even worse. The awkwardness was paralyzing him and he could hardly breathe, the panic slowly choking on him.

"Sir, I've got a location via triangulation for the phone call. It was located in the Canal District, near the Kapok Street cornering the Coconut Avenue, in a radius of four city blocks" Bradley said to Marki, who immediately grabbed his radio again.

"Operational command for Tac-Team Alpha, 11-98 Canal District, code 11, over!"

"Tac-Team Alpha for Operational command, confirming code 11. ETA in twelve minutes. Over and out!"

Marki turned to Bradley again: "Send all tactical information including street and underground maps to our channel and order two untagged operational vehicles to the helicopter airfield in the Canal District."

"Sending information now on our secure channel, access code is '10-Brake-Alpha'. The car pool at the CD airfield reports two untagged vehicles are on standby for Team Alpha."

"Okay, I will drive to the HQ and meet with Tac-Team Bravo, how much time is left until the banking tracer is ready?"

"Thirty-Six minutes left, the virtual transfers are already prepared" Bradley said after checking a few applications on his notebook. "But we have to wait for someone accessing the banking account to get their location data".

"I know, but I'm counting on the impatience of our kidnapper and that he is checking the balance regularly" Marki was nearly out of the door when he paused for a moment and turned his head back to Bradley: "And keep an eye on Wilde, I don't want him to put his oar in on the operation!"

When Marki finally left the apartment, slamming the door shut, Bradley noticed that Nick was standing in the doorframe that's leading to their bedroom. "Don't take it personal, Nick" he said with a soft smile. "Marki may seem to be rough, but he is one of our bests".

"He's behaving like a bull in a china shop" Nick muttered quietly. He poured some water into a glass and knocked it back. "I worked already several times with Marki, but since the bombings he's treating me different. And now he even stunned a helpless victim only because he didn't want to bother with him anymore? That was totally unneeded and excessive, I don't know what to make of this, Brad". The fox sat down beside the jaguar with a sigh. He and Bradley got to be friends half a year ago when Nick worked in his forensic department for an advanced training.

"Marki never was a convivial mammal. And maybe he was acting somewhat impulsively when he stunned that rabbit. But he is one of our best profilers and tacticians". Bradley said while checking the status of the tracer.

"Just be honest with me, Brad… what are our odds to find Evelin on time?"

"I don't know, Nick. I have seriously no idea. You know that Forget-me-not kidnapper better than me, I'm just the IT guy playing with the computer" Bradley sighed. "If he just makes a quick-check for the balance of the account, maybe he will let her go and we can even arrest him based on the tracer-data".

"Would you do this?" Nick asked weary, already knowing the answer.

"No" his colleague answered with a sigh. "I would transfer all the money immediately on different off-shore accounts so nobody can find it, accessing the bank account via an open WiFi connection of a library or something similar".

"Yeah, thought so" Nick let his head fall down onto the table, being a picture of misery.

"Chin up, when the water's up to your neck – like my wife always say to me" the jaguar put a paw on Nick's shoulder, smiling encouraging. "Our best team is working hard to bring Misses Brooks back home".

The computer beeped and a small popup was notifying about a new mail with an 'urgent' flag. Bradley typed in a few commands, then opened the message. "Mh, the results from our forensics lab about the evidences".

"Something enlightening?" Nick asked in a hopeful way, watching his colleague carefully while he was reading the reports.

"There was a greasy residue on the mouflon's strand of fur, some old industry oil. And we found some rust particles together with shingle and clay on your doormat within some big cloven hoofprint. But we have no timing classification for it".

"I cleaned-up the whole apartment, including the doormat, on Friday morning before our guests arrived. We had no big animals or mammals with cloven hoofs as guests since then" Nick said with a more attentive look on his face.

Bradley made some notes, then continued: "The bloodstain is indeed from a female rabbit, hormone level indicating a pregnancy, the DNA is not registered in our database. I guess we can be sure now that it is the blood of Misses Brooks. The short hairs within the blood are light grey and also from a female rabbit. Then we have a 0.5 mg solution of Etorphine – apparently your olfaction was absolutely right that there was a chemical substance on the carpet. We can assume that the poor rabbit was hit by a sedative dart. That dosage made her pass out within seconds, she had really no chance" Brad sighed.

"Wait, that's not the same narcotic substance we are using in our tranquillizer guns, right?"

"No, the ZPD and other official forces are only allowed to use Acepromazine as it's less dangerous and easier to dosage".

"Maybe we can identify all buyers off Etorphine within the last few weeks, that list shouldn't be very long. Also we should check burglary reports from pharmacies and hospitals!" Nick saw a dim ray of hope on the horizon.

Bradley was already typing on his notebook, sending a message to his lab. "Great idea, I have assigned a comprehensive research and cross-check to our experts. See? We are making progress" Bradley tried to cheer Nick up.

"Anything else?" the fox asked eagerly.

"Just a handwriting analysis report for the poem. The cursive writing is identical to the specimen of the previous letters. Just… mh…" the jaguar paused and read a paragraph he only skimmed again.

"Just what, Brad?" Nick was getting edgy.

"There is a small divergence in the type face for the word 'bunny'. It's still the same handwriting, but the lines are more fringed".

"And only for the word 'bunny'?" Nick asked frowning and Bradley nodded. "No idea, doesn't seem to be helpful at all. The best trace seems to be the Etorphine. Keep me informed about everything new, okay?"

"Sure thing, Nick" Bradley checked his banking tracer and sighed – still twelve minutes left until he could start the transfers. "How is Judy, by the way? She really didn't look too well when we arrived. Hope she is okay?"

"The whole pregnancy is very exhausting for her, especially as her broken ribs are still healing. Then she didn't get a lot of sleep this weekend and now the shock with Evelin's kidnapping. It was all too much, but our Doctor said that everything will be okay again and gave her something to relax. She is sleeping right now, it's the best in her current state anyway" Nick sighed. "I will have a look after Sven, call me if you get any news!"

Bradley was already typing on his notebook again to forward the forensic reports to the team and just nodded as an answer.

* * *

21:39 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (guestroom)

Nick was sitting on a wooden chair in the corner of the guestroom, typing on his phone that was occasional vibrating to notify about new messages. He was trying to get in touch with some of his former contacts and whistleblowers, but didn't received any viable information in the last twenty minutes. Doctor Alisson had injected Sven an antagonist for the narcotic drug and went back to Judy after a short talk with Nick. Evelin's husband didn't tolerate the Acepromazine very well and was still groggy, dozing off frequently.

It knocked on the door and Bradley entered the room. "Team Alpha couldn't find anything suspicious in the Canal District, but will still stick around. Also Samaritan finished its work and the account balance is now showing five incoming money transfers, each with 50.000 Zollars. But no activity, yet".

Nick nodded slowly and asked with a short look to his phone: "Any news about the Etorphine?"

"Not yet, sorry" the jaguar shook his head, then nodded in Sven's direction. "How is he?"

Nick stood up from his chair, putting his paws into his pants pockets, and walked up to the bed, looking down to his brother-in-law with a sad face. "Just like a rabbit that had a terrible day and was stunned. He's only occasionally conscious and then always muttering something about Evelin". He made a short pause, then mumbled: "They don't deserve this. They are just hard working country mammals, settling down to family life and trying to make ends meet".

"Nobody deserves this, Nick. And don't give up, yet. We still have quite some traces to follow and will find your sister-in-law" Bradley said quietly. He wasn't very talented in finding the right words, working with computers was more his bag. With nothing more to say he quietly left the room again, closing the door behind.

Nick walked slouchy to the window. It was already dark outside and a colorful sea of lights composed of lanterns, cars, advertising panels and the illuminations of all the buildings. In the distance the Rainforest District was visible as a dark jungle, the slow motions of all the trees made it appear like a silent ocean. The nightly sky was star-bright, in a few days they would have a new moon. Somewhere out there in this big city was Evelin held captive, probably full of fear, maybe even injured, her life at stake.

"Nick…" Sven was speaking quietly with a toneless voice. Nick closed his eyes and shivered, he was totally able to relate to the rabbit, remembering how weak and helpless he was feeling himself while Judy was sitting in that car with the bomb's timer running down merciless only a few weeks ago. But at least he was able to talk and assist her in that situation. Sven was not even able to do anything to support his wife right now. His low voice beyond all hope when he uttered Nick's name made the fox feel like someone was clawing at his heart with a deathly cold paw.

"Hey, Sven. Good to see you awake again" Nick said turning around with his best deadpan he could pretend. Actually he wasn't glad to see him awake, the rabbit couldn't do anything right now and while asleep he didn't have to suffer from the darkness at least.

"Anything new?" the rabbit asked with this quiet and toneless voice that was giving Nick a chill.

"The kidnapper had called us about one-and-a-half hour ago. Some tactical teams are combing the area from where he called and we faked the money transfer. There is nothing we can do but wait right now" Nick tried to use a warm and comforting voice, holding the rabbits paw tightly in his own. "Maybe Detective Marki was behaving like an insensitive troll when he stunned you, but he is also one of our best tactical officers and will do all in his power to get her back".

Sven just nodded weakly, holding Nick's paw and turned his face to the window, watching the hardly visible sickle moon. "I cannot lose her, Nick. She means the world to me, I don't know what I will do if I lose her".

Nick's phone vibrated silently and the fox starred on the display with a deadpan. He unclasped Sven's paw, made a few steps away from Sven's bed and finally accepted the call: "Wilde".

* * *

22:11 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (bedroom)

Nick had asked Doctor Alisson to have a look after Sven. He changed his clothes after she left the bedroom as he was still wearing his Red Paws shirt from the game this afternoon. When the fox walked over to Judy's side of the bed he kneeled down and took the paw of his sleeping wife. Her skin was soft and warm, and when he slowly leaned forward he burrowed his nose into Judy's fur, taking a last deep breath of her scent. After a few seconds he reluctantly lifted his head again, stroked with his paw slowly over her cheek and whispered: "I will do all that is necessary to bring her back, I promise carrots…" – closing his eyes he gave her a soft kiss. He lingered over some thoughts, eventually pulled off his wedding ring and put it down on Judy's nightstand beside her alarm clock. When Nick stood up again, he quietly said "I love you" before finally turning around and walking out of the door, not noticing that Judy had opened her eyes somewhat.

"Nick…?" she said still sleepy, but he was already gone and closed the door, leaving her behind alone in the dark room.

* * *

22:19 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment

"You shouldn't leave the house, Nick. Where are you going?" Bradley asked when Nick walked into the hallway and put on his coat.

"I'm just getting something to eat for us, we only had a light lunch today. This is probably going to be a long night. Pizza is okay for you?" Nick smiled lightly.

"Sure thing, good idea. I will call you immediately if I get some news in the meanwhile!"

"Thanks, I'll be back in about twenty minutes, tops" the red fox waved goodbye and quickly left the apartment. When he entered the elevator he took his phone and removed the battery – his contact always was a shady and paranoid mammal and made it clear, that he would only speak with Nick in private. No phone that could be wiretapped, no police and no other tricks. Nick had only worked once with Ferris five years ago; this ferret was giving him the creeps – but also had the best connections on the black market in Zootopia and selling those to whoever could afford it. That also meant, that the former hustler had to make a short detour before he would meet Ferris in the Nocturnal District…

* * *

22:31 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (bedroom)

Judy was still feeling dizzy, but her body wasn't aching anymore. She fumbled for her alarm clock on the nightstand; it was half past ten, not quite two hours of sleep. It took a while to remember all things that happened this evening in detail, her brain still working slowly like being wrapped up in cotton wool from the drugs. She remembered that she arrived together with Nick and Finnick at their apartment. Sven was waiting in front of it because Evelin wasn't answering the door. There was quite a mess in their living room and they found a ransom note. Henceforth her memories were only vague, remembering only small fragments: Marki's and Wolford's voice, a discussion to call Doctor Alisson, Nick's voice singing her a lullaby, someone talking about a problem with her blood, the soft touch of Nick's paw stroking over her face. But everything seems so unreal: Their birthday party yesterday, the baseball game today and only at the split of a second later everything had changed when they realized that Evelin was supposedly being kidnapped. Just a few weeks ago she escaped death by a narrow margin when someone blew up their police rover – only to discover some days later that she was pregnant from Nick with two kits… it seemed as since she rushed into marriage five weeks ago her complete life was like riding a rollercoaster without safety bars.

Her mind drifted slowly away. Judy's last ride on a rollercoaster was a few months ago on the carrots fair in Bunnyburrow. She had a great weekend with Nick and a few dozens of her siblings. There was still a photo hanging on their fridge door; it showed Evelin and her, screaming with cheers while sitting in the first wagon of the coaster, dashing down after the looping. Judy smiled at the thought of it, but the mental image suddenly changed into something dark and scary, the screams now with panic-stricken fear. Out of a sudden the wagon was hurtling towards a massive brick wall with Nick standing right in front of it. His eyes were blazing in red, baring his teeth and blood all over his body…

Judy woke up again, soaked with sweat and with a racing heart. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was and the details of the nightmare were already fading away. The door of the bedroom was teared open, the bright light from the hallway was blinding – and then someone was clawing at her! She started to flail in panic, screaming for help…

"Breathe deeply and try to calm down again. It's only me, Doctor Kathrin Alisson. You had a nightmare, Judy…" the other rabbit tried to reassure her, gently holding her patients paws. She and Bradley ran into the bedroom after they heard a sudden scream seconds ago. The jaguar stopped in the doorframe with a worried look, but when he was sure that Judy only had a nightmare he backed out tactfully, giving his colleague and friend some privacy in her own bedroom.

Judy was breathing heavily, her eyes wide open, but eventually stopped flailing after she had recognized Doctor Alisson. The older rabbit was still talking soothingly, feeling her pulse on the neck.

"Are you okay again?" Kathrin Alisson asked, feeling Judy's cheeks and forehead with the back of her paw.

Judy nodded slowly, muttering: "Just feeling somewhat giddy…"

"You were hyperventilating, take a slow and deep breath…" Doctor Alisson said slowly, then continued after a few seconds, "…and breathe out again… inhale… and exhale. Good" she smiled softly. "Your pulse is already near to normal again. Do you have any pain right now?"

The younger rabbit was pondering for a moment, "Just a light prick in my chest".

Doctor Alisson nodded slowly and reached for a glass with water on the nightstand. "Here, you should drink something".

Judy slowly sat up in her bed, took the glass and had a sip. Her nightmare was nothing more than a vague feeling by now and she looked around. She was still in her bedroom, but the shadows on the wall seemed to be somewhat minatory. When Judy glanced at her alarm clock it displayed 23:08 o'clock. With a last gulp she emptied the glass of water and handed it back to Doctor Alisson.

"Can you give me a roundup what happened? I vaguely remember that I passed out after we noticed that Evelin was gone and we found something like a ransom note; and that I insisted on calling you instead of a doctor on call. But everything else is blurry".

Doctor Alisson put the glass back on the nightstand. "I examined you and we talked about a few things regarding your pregnancy. Nothing too important right now, we can go through everything without ruffle or excitement on your next regular visit in my office. I also gave you an injection with some vitamins, something to regulate your IgG level and also a light sedative for your pain and to get some sleep". She paused, then seemed to be uncomfortable out of a sudden. "Regarding the events around your sister… I don't think that I'm the right person to talk about that with you, Misses Hopps-Wilde. I'm just your doctor and only overheard a few scraps of conversation".

"Of course, sorry. Maybe you can ask Nick to come? I'm sure he stayed on top of everything" Judy smiled weary; in secrecy she had expected his face to be the first thing she would see when opening her eyes, and now she was somewhat sad that he still wasn't present. Much to her surprise Doctor Alisson was hesitating and not replying to her question. Actually, the other rabbit was now avoiding to look in her direction. Judy's facial expression was getting more vigilant and her ears bopped up. When she noticed the nervous heartbeat of the rabbit sitting opposite, her muzzle started to wiggle nervously. "Doctor Alisson? You are keeping something from me, what is it?"

* * *

22:46 o'clock, Nocturnal District

Nick was walking through a small passage in the Nocturnal District, a shady place even in the daytime as it mainly consists of a long and extensive network of caves, caverns, tunnels and passages. It's extending for kilometers underneath the main city and into the outlying regions around it like the Meadowland or the mountainous regions flanking Zootopia. Most of its residents were law-abiding and friendly citizens: mammals like stoats, bats, badgers, opossums, tapirs or raccoons were not only living but also working here. But its location and structures also made it an ideal place for less legally deals and activities.

Almost twenty years ago Nick and his mother had a small two-room flat down here for a while as they had hardly any income and the rent was comparatively cheap. But today he was in a much darker area of the district with only a few residences and small stores that all had closed by this time. The sound of a distant bar was reaching his ears, but ranges were difficult to estimate as there was a lot of echo. Even his excellent night vision was of no big use as the small tunnels and passages were often highly branched.

Ferris had a luxury flat by the local standards, but the entrance was hidden and unremarkable in one of the smaller side-passages. Nick had to keep his head down when he entered the low passage – a nearly invisible sign, a crescent within a rhomb, was worked into the wall near the floor to mark the right one for privy mammals. The humid and moldy air was raising his hackles. The fox wanted to make fast work of this visit, hoping that Ferris really had some information about someone who recently bought some Etorphine on the black market like he suggested on the phone. Nick was really reluctant at first to write a message to the ferret, but eventually had to admit that he was still the best chance for Evelin he knew of right now; when anybody could tell him who bought that forbidden drug, it was Ferris. After just a few meters the door of Ferris' residence became visible behind some creepers. With a deep breath he knocked on the wooden door and after a while he heard at least three locks before the door opened slowly. A coyote was eyeing him suspiciously, a second coyote was visible a few meters further into the hallway. Both were dressed in brown and black clothes, each having a baton on their belt – and Nick was sure he recognized also some sort of gun under the jacket of the first coyote.

"I'm Nick, I have a meeting with Ferris" the fox said in a low tone, mustering the first guard carefully.

Without saying a word the coyote stepped aside to let him pass and closed the door again with a menacing click of the locks. The second guard was going ahead, leading the fox into a small and sparsely furnished office. While Nick was sitting down on one of the armchairs, both coyotes were taking up position in front of the door. Even in Mister Big's office the atmosphere wasn't as cold as here – and his was in Tundratown after all!

"Long time no see, Nicholas" a soft but all the more threatening voice was coming from behind and Nick turned his head. The ferret had ash-gray but groomed fur, wearing an all-black suit with an olive-green tie.

"Businesses, you know" Nick said with nearly no emotion but slyly smiling somewhat.

Ferris walked past him, sitting down on another chair. "Heard you abandoned your career as an iceman? Your long-eared friend was seen with some other rascals lately".

"It was time for a change. I'm working on a new long-time hustle now, but none of your beeswax. You said on the phone that you would have the information I asked for?"

"I also remind that I mentioned a price it would cost" the ferret smiled shifty, folding his paws together.

Nick wanted to reach into his jacket to pull out an envelope, but he couldn't even grab it before one of the coyotes was standing beside him out of nowhere, grabbing his arm vicelike.

Ferris hold up one paw: "Move slowly… Pascal can be quite nervous with foreigners" he smiled softly. The coyote was slowly letting go of Nick's arm again, still watching him attentively.

Nick rolled seemingly bugged with his eyes and carefully pulled his jacket aside. "See? No weapons". With his other paw he pulled the brown envelope out of the inside pocket. "Eight thousand Zollars as agreed" he said while giving the envelope to the coyote, who checked the content and then passed it to his boss.

Ferris took the money out of the envelope and counted it with quick fingers. When he made sure that the amount was correct, he gave it back to Pascal who walked up to a small cabinet and locked the wad of notes away. "Nothing personal, Nicholas. But I know how bad you are at math".

"I kept my side of the bargain" Nick snarled quietly. "Now for the requested information".

"Why in such a hurry…" the ferret was now talking markedly slow. "I'm curious, since when are you interested in drug dealers?"

"The dealer doesn't interest me in the slightest. I want to know the name of the buyer".

"Ahh… right. Even more disconcerting. What was it – Etorphine? That's some dangerous stuff, Nicholas. And even more are those who are buying it backhandedly".

"You are asking too many questions, Ferris. I'm the one who asked for information and already payed for it".

"Sorry, just a bad habit. At least I'm dealing with information" Ferris answered. "But you are right, a deal is a deal". He pulled a small note out of his jacket pocket and leaned forward, handing it Nick.

The fox took and unfolded the slip of paper – 'Bud Ramstad' was written on it in small letters. "It was a pleasure as always to bargain with you" he muttered and got up from his seat, putting the note into his pants pocket.

When Nick had nearly reached the door, Ferris raised his voice again: "Just a last question, Nicholas". The fox turned around with an annoyed look of inquiry. The ferret was still sitting in his chair with crossed legs and his paws folded together in his lap again. "How long exactly are you working as a cop now?"

That question was totally unexpected and touched Nick to the quick, raising his hackles. He couldn't even think of a reaction yet when out of a sudden a sharp pain flashed through his head, knocking him out immediately. Pascal was standing above the inanimate body of the fox with his baton while Ferris slowly walked up to them.

"How unfortunate for you that somebody else also offered a high reward for anyone asking about Ramstad or Etorphine, Nicholas. As I said, it's really some dangerous stuff" the ferret said with a sly grin to the passed out fox, then made a gesture to his guards. "Call the client and arrange the handover with that timber wolf. I want to get over and done with this transaction as quickly as possible and get shed of that pig again".

* * *

23:18 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (work room)

"What do you mean, he is also vanished?!" Judy was yelling at Snarlof, only wearing the too long baseball shirt of the Red Paws. When Doctor Alisson had confessed to her that Nick left the apartment nearly an hour ago to get something to eat, but didn't return and also didn't answer his phone, Judy bounced out of the bed against the doctor's orders and ran into the living room. Bradley was working focused on his notebook while Grizzoli and Snarlof, two polar bears and also officers of the ZPD, were talking with each other.

"What I just said, Hopps" Snarlof answered with a tight voice. "He told Bradley that he wanted to get some pizza for dinner. That's more than an hour ago now and when Bradley couldn't reach him on his phone after waiting for nearly forty minutes, he immediately reported a 10-57 and 11-99. The whole night shift is searching the area for him right now, but Wilde seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth".

"In the true sense of the word!" Bradley interrupted them with a sudden exclamation. "'Trinity' just identified him via face recognition when he entered the Nocturnal District via the South-East-Gateway near Acacia Street forty-two minutes ago. I'm trying to find some newer footage now!" Trinity was a surveillance software that sorts through all available digital information, for example the footage of the security cameras all over Zootopia, police reports and usage of public transport. It supports the ZPD and other authorities with a heuristic search, using face and license plate recognition and machine learning algorithms to process the big data of all sources. It was developed by the software company ECT after the Nighthowler case proved, that the huge amount of security cameras cannot be sufficiently monitored manually.

"Nocturnal District? Are you sure?" Judy asked skeptically and ran over to Bradley to have a look on his monitor. Grizzoli was forwarding the new information via radio, asking the dispatcher to inform Precinct 29, too, as the Nocturnal District was in their area of authority. Snarlof was talking on a different channel in the meanwhile with Marki, also informing him about the new information. The timber wolf was still with Tac-Team Bravo on standby, waiting for results of the bank account tracer.

"The system identified him with a probability of 92%, but have a look for yourself" the jaguar typed in a few commands and the archived footage of a security camera at the said gateway became visible on the screen. Judy's chest was aching again and she also got a headache, making it difficult to concentrate on the video. But she recognized Nick's gait and posture at once.

"That's him, no doubts" she sighed puzzled. "What for carrots sake is he doing down there?!"

"No idea… wait a second, I try to backtrack him from there" Bradley typed in a few more commands and based on the found hit the system started to analyze nearby cameras. With a confirmed match the heuristic was able to improve the recognition, now finding more results with a high probability for which the face recognition alone wasn't sufficient. "Okay, here are a few more hits: He walked through Downtown, using apparently quite some backstreets with only few security cameras".

"It nearly seems to me that he was anxious to avoid them, see how he looks over his shoulders?" Grizzoli said with irritation, standing behind Bradley and Judy by now.

"I have no account for his behavior, too" Judy was supporting herself against the tabletop with hypoventilation and closed her eyes.

Bradley put his arm around her back to prevent her from collapsing again, "Are you okay, Judy? Maybe you should lay down again".

"I can't breathe" she whispered in panic, feeling dizzy again.

"I'm calling the Doctor…" Grizzoli said worried and headed to the guestroom, but Doctor Alisson was already entering the living room, supporting Sven. "Ah, you come in at the right moment, Hopps is feeling off-color again and cannot breathe!"

Doctor Alisson searched the room for Judy with an alarmed look, then turned around to Sven. But even before she could say something he was already making a quick gesture: "I'm okay, go and have a look after Judy!"

* * *

00:03 o'clock, unknown hideout

He was surrounded by darkness, unable to see even a single contour and there was only a quiet but constant hum in the distance. Feeling weightless and at the same time paralyzed, floating just like some insensate object in zero gravity, the endless void sucking him under. Piercing cold. A sensation of giddiness. After a few seconds, minutes or days – he had completely lost his sense of time – the quiet hum got louder and a dull pain was slowly pervading his whole body. Within the darkness a small bright light emerged, getting bigger and brighter with every second; and with it the pain intensified. He was slowly drawn towards that light, the dizziness getting even worse, and suddenly he was falling and rotating uncontrollably…

When Nick slowly opened his smarting eyes, his vision was only blurred. He also had a sharp headache and a metallic flavor in his mouth, the latter reminding him on the side effects of drugs like chloroform. His feet were strapped to the legs of a wooden chair he was sitting on, his paws were handcuffed behind his back. While trying to take a deep breath he suddenly noticed that he could barely open his snout, being also muzzled. He couldn't neither move nor speak and his first reaction – a light panic – was quickly replaced by anger and the fox started to struggle and teared at his bonds, but to no avail.

"Ah, I see that our main guest is finally awake" a cold an unpleasant voice came out of a dark corner of the room. "Don't waste your energy, you are still going to need it". A ram in a dark-grey and dirty overall made two steps forward until he was visible in the dim light. "I already feared you wouldn't drop in and I had to party with the bunny all alone" the ram smiled maliciously while walking over to the other side of the room.

Nick was champing with rage and gazed after the ram who walked to another dark corner of the room. His eyes were still smarting and he could only vaguely recognize some silhouettes. When the ram switched on another light directly over a wooden table, the fox screwed up his eyes in pain from the sudden light. But some muffled screams constrained him to reopen them: The ram was standing beside a large wooden table with Evelin laying on top. Her mouth was gagged, arms and feet strapped to the table with some thick rope. She was still wearing her beautiful dress but the mortal fear was writ large in her face and her eyes tear-dimmed. Nick started to struggle and tear at his own bonds even more furiously, but the ram just laughed quietly and slowly walked up in his direction.

Nick was breathing heavily through his nose, his arms and shoulders were already hurting from all the struggling, but it was to no avail. For a moment he was glad that Evelin was in fact still alive and at least superficially unharmed. But the cold and smugly grin on that rams face was ominous. This behavior was complete uncharacteristic in accord with the profile of the Forget-me-not kidnapper, he never had two victims at once and only hijacked small and female prey – Nick being neither of it. Was he closing in on identifying him and the ram felt constrained to kidnap him, too, to prevent this? But it would have been much easier to just kill him or even Evelin and clear out. Also the whole appearance of the ram wasn't that of someone who was in panic – didn't he said, that he waited for Nick to arrive? The only consequence of this was, that Ferris phone call and offer to help was a trap to get hold of him. And following from the foregoing Nick arrived at the conclusion that this wasn't the Forget-me-not kidnapper and that he just mimicked his behavior to… wherefore?!

"Keep calm, fox. You will have your chance to rescue that rabbit, I promise. Well…" the ram had walked over to another small table and smiled frostily. "…as a matter of fact, only one of you will be released. And as the smart and predominant predator you are, unlike us poor prey, you are going to decide how all of this will end". Nick tried to yell something angrily, but his muzzle was preventing him to speak and the ram laughed. "Just listen carefully and I will explain your options. See all those neat little tools I brought just for you?" the ram waved with his hooves over the table.

It was only now that Nick took a closer look at that table. A clutter of different things were laying there: knifes, needles, a copper pipe, pliers, some glass vials with unknown liquids, wire cable, a car battery, a cattle prod and even more things he couldn't identify.

"Your option number one is, we both are going to have a great time. Indeed, you will die in agony eventually in a few days, but I promise that I will spare the bunny. That is, if she survives this long without food and water". Nick could hear Evelin starting to sob hysterically, but his own eyes were only fixating angrily the ram. "Or you can also plug into option number two anytime: You just have to kill the bunny and are released immediately. You're a predator, so it's in your nature anyway, but I also have a nice injection of this Nighthowler serum prepared just to make sure you don't have second thoughts".

Nick could just stare at the maliciously grinning ram, even without the muzzle he wouldn't know what to say. He already had met psychopaths like Adrian Bale and read about other types of mentally disturbed personalities. But he never understood the desire of some mammals to hurt others – not with the intent to get some information or as a punishment, but just for fun and their own sadistic amusement only. But even if he was able to bear the torture, the longer he would stay alive the greater was the risk for Evelin for dehydration; providing their kidnapper would keep his word, something far from likely. The thought was turning his stomach and Nick couldn't think straight right now, panic flooding his body again.

"Well, as long as you are evaluating your options, I will kill some time meanwhile…" the ram started to hum quietly, looking over the tools on the table. He finally decided for some heavy knuckle-dusters, put it on his hoof and strolled over to the restrained fox – battering him in the gut without showing any hesitancy, making him heaving a loud and tormented groan.

* * *

23:58 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (living room)

Grizzoli had brought Judy to the couch after her qualm and Doctor Alisson examined her blood pressure, temperature and other vital signs again, giving her some quick-acting drops against the dizziness and also the pain. Sven was still somewhat weak-kneed and he and Judy were comforting each-others now, holding their paws and nestling their heads together.

"You should probably go back to bed, Misses Hopps-Wilde" Doctor Alisson said with a worried look. "You're still weak and I strongly recommend to have a few more hours of sleep".

"Are my kits endangered?" Judy lifted her head and asked quietly.

The doctor slowly shook her head and sighed. "They are not in imminent danger, but I'm also worried about your wellbeing".

"Maybe you should listen to her, Ju" Sven cradled his sister-in-law. "Your colleagues promised to inform us on news, you cannot do anything right now. I will wake you up as soon as…"

He couldn't finish his sentence because Judy's ZPD colleagues were agitatedly putting their heads together out of a sudden. Judy wanted to leap up from the couch again, but Doctor Alisson had foreseen that reaction and hold her back.

"Don't rush things again, Miss Hopps-Wilde! It's no use to pred or prey if you are collapsing again, you really have to take things easy now or I have to sedate you – for your own good!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Judy answered angrily, but her desperate facial expression and her trembling paws were indicating that she wasn't really able to react against anybody right now.

"Judy…" Sven put his paw on her arm, speaking with a quiet and sad voice. "Please, try to keep rational. The deep anxiety about Evelin and now Nick as well… I cannot handle all of this and be scared for you, too". There was something pleading in his voice, just as he was mustering his last energy to not collapse and burst out crying.

Judy was slumping down and put her paw on Sven's. She had to admit, that she was at the end of her rope, just like Sven. Just sitting here and thinking about what maybe happened to Evelin or Nick gave her a feeling of being totally helpless; but at least she could assist her brother-in-law in this situation. She felt her little kits kicking softly, apparently not even they were having a nap. With a soft smile Judy took Sven's paw and put it on her belly for him to feel it, too. The rabbit was hesitant at first, but eventually smiled somewhat when he felt the little kicks. Without saying a word he leant his head against Judy's and sighed, crawling over her belly absently.

* * *

00:19 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (work room)

Grizzoli and Snarlof were standing behind Bradley, watching how the IT guru was flipping through different applications and typing new commands faster than they could read. About fifteen minutes ago the tracer reported an access to the banking account and since then the jaguar was following its digital routing through the World Wide Web.

"Whoever is sitting on the other end of this, he is really good" Bradley muttered sour.

"Keep at it!" Snarlof exclaimed. "Our search parties still couldn't find any new trace in the Nocturnal District of Wilde and we have no other clue than this banking account to the kidnap victim!"

"I know how to do my job, Snarlof!" Bradley said with a snarl. He knew that his colleague didn't mean to urge him, but he was just stressed out. He had finished his shift and wanted to leave the office four hours ago when the emergency alarm for another ZPD officer came in. Recognizing his friends address immediately, he volunteered to take care for the IT forensics on-site – and by now he was working for more than thirteen hours at a stretch. But even worse than his depletion was the lack of helpful evidence in this case. And when finally someone accessed the surveilled account, his tracer seems to run in an endless loop, returning no result! Either there was some very uncommon bug in the software – something he could foreclose with almost dead certainty – or some very talented hacker was actively misleading the algorithms of Samaritan, which was nearly impossible without knowing the source code; and that was a classified information. Although being the head of the IT forensics department, even he had only limited access to it. So, theoretically it should be impossible to bypass Samaritan; but practically a simple trace-route operation, that shouldn't run for more than a few seconds, was running for seventeen minutes now and still lasting!

„10-36 for Officer Grizzoli, 10-23 for Charlie One, over" Grizzoli's radio was crackling out of a sudden.

"Grizzoli for Dispatch, 10-4, over and out!" he answered the radio and looked puzzled to his partner. As he was coordinating the search for Nick most of the evening, some confidential information that couldn't be transmitted via radio was maybe worrying in this context. But that even Chief Bogo was on his way to them personally was quite alarming.

Snarlof shrugged with his shoulders, but before he could say something his own radio – adjusted for a different channel reserved to communicate with the tactical teams and Marki directly – crackled: "11-15 for David One, over!" – "Team Alpha on stand-by, over" – "Team Bravo on stand-by, over".

Snarlof looked questioning to Bradley who just shook his head, then replied into his handset: "ID still UTR, code 500. Waiting on arrival of Charlie One on-site with a 10-36, over".

There was a short pause on the radio, then Marki's voice crackled again: "10-09 for ID, over"

"ID UTR, code 500" Snarlof repeated his message as requested, "Also awaiting arrival of Charlie One on-site with a 10-36, over".

"10-04, David One over and out" Marki answered, his tension was noticeable even on the radio. He never was the most social colleague, but since the bombings the timber wolf was continuously bad-tempered. Now he was the team lead for the kidnapping, but instead of making progress an officer went missing, too, the IT wasn't producing any results and now even Chief Bogo was joining in.

"Do you think we should tell Hopps that the Chief is on his way?" Snarlof asked with a frown, but Grizzoli shook his head.

"She will ask why, we would tell her that he has confidential information, and as we have no idea if Bogo is willing to tell her more, she will eventually tick him off and one of us will have to pay for spilling the news to her without permission".

"Got him!" Bradley suddenly exclaimed and in the same moment the doorbell rang.

* * *

01:12 o'clock, unknown hideout

Evelin was squinting her eyes shut, she couldn't bear to see Nick being beaten over and over again; first with some knuckle dusters, then with a long metal pipe. But she couldn't close her ears, though, and the muffled screams and hitting sounds were causing her heartache like never before.

After what seemed like an eternity she could only hear Nick's heavy breathing and no more beating. When she forced herself to open the eyes again, the view of her brother-in-law and close friend being covered in his own blood was turning her stomach. Bent-forward the fox was breathing heavily and Evelin could hear him wheezing every now and then – the same sound Judy made on her first day in the hospital a few weeks ago, meaning some of his ribs were broken and pierced his lungs; she cursed her excellent sense of hearing right now. Nick slowly turned his head in her direction, the former emerald colored eyes seemed to be dull and one eye socket was already swollen. But the fox still managed somehow to smile encouraging to her. The rabbit started to weep again, knowing that Nick was enduring all of this to save her; just one word would stop the torture for him if he would agree to sacrifice her. But even if Evelin wouldn't have known that he would never do this, his small but encouraging smile was trying to assure her that he was okay, never considering that option.

In the meantime, the ram quietly started to whistle again some odd child song. He slowly walked back to Nick and arranged himself behind the chair, some tool in his hand the rabbit couldn't see clearly.

"Ready for another round? You should smile a bit, we are recording some souvenir picture, too!" the ram giggled while grabbing Nick's snout from behind and pushed it upwards to face a small webcam on a computer monitor in the back of the room. Slowly leaning forward he whispered into Nick's ear with a sly smile: "You can stop this with just a single word… what do you think?"

Nick said quietly with a boldfaced smile: "I'm waiting for the 'punch'-line…"

The ram just smiled even wider. "You'll soon be laughing on the other side of your face, pred-scum. Let's start working on your manners…" he replied, concurrently taking one of Nick's fingers between the collet jaws of a pair of pliers.

Nick's howl with pain was not as horrible as the cracking sound Evelin could clearly hear, making her scream hysterically into her gag, struggling desperately with her ropes.

* * *

00:46 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (work room)

While Grizzoli had opened the door for Chief Bogo, Snarlof was talking on the radio with Marki giving him the address of an abandoned warehouse in the meadowlands as the location the tracer had finally returned. After he finished he turned around to Bradley again:

"Both tactical teams are on their way, Marki is accompanying Team Bravo and they will arrive in about seven minutes at that address. Any additional information you can provide us with can be helpful, Brad".

"I'm already working on it as fast as I can. However, there is something very strange…"

"More technical problems?" Snarlof asked dejected.

"No, quite the opposite. The Samaritan program was manipulated and fooled by some of the most advanced hacking techniques I ever saw. But the finally identified IP address isn't secured at all: I'm nearly done acquiring full access to the corresponding computer, that's way too easy. I have a bad feeling with this, you should inform the teams about a possible ambush or trap…" Bradley seemed seriously worried.

"Did you find them?" Judy asked with a weak but excited voice, standing in the doorframe to the work room where her colleagues had arranged themselves more than four hours ago. Sven stood beside her, holding her paw and looking scared to the jaguar and the polar bear behind Nick and Judy's desk. Doctor Alisson got another emergency call from a patient with premature labor and had left them ten minutes ago, not without screwing the promise out of Judy to take it slow. She also promised to return afterwards and asked to not hesitate calling her in an emergency.

"We have a result from the tracer that observed the banking account" Bradley explained without interrupting his work, while Snarlof was talking with Marki and explained the potential risk of an ambush. "Our tactical teams are on their way right now, but as you can hear from Snarlof, I'm somewhat worried and assume that this location might be a trap for our teams".

Judy sighed, "Did the kidnapper already noticed that you were just faking the money transfer?"

"When the tracer started its work, only the balance was checked. That shouldn't have revealed our trick".

The pregnant bunny nodded slowly, then asked another question: "We heard the doorbell a few minutes ago and someone is talking in the guestroom. I could only identify Grizzoli's voice on the fly, do you know who is with him?"

"Presumably the Chief" Snarlof answered after he finished his report to Marki, then turned to Bradley. "The first helicopter will arrive in three minutes, Team Bravo is about two minutes behind them. Any updates, yet?"

"I have full access…" the jaguar finished typing a last command and continued after it completed successfully, "...now! Analyzing the hardware… no webcam or microphone available, scanning the hard disk for personal files".

The guestroom door was opened and a few moments later Chief Bogo stood behind the two rabbits in the doorway to the work room with Grizzoli. Snarlof saluted, but Bogo just nodded quickly and turned to Judy.

"Hopps… sorry that we have to meet again so quickly under these circumstances", he snarled as always and his rabbit-cop nodded acknowledging. "Mister Hopps-Brooks…" Bogo looked over to Sven and handed him his hoof. "I didn't know that it's your wife that is kidnapped, I'm really sorry".

"Thanks, Chief" Sven said wearily.

"Hopps, can we talk for a moment in private?" Bogo turned back again to Judy who nodded with a frightened look, holding Sven's paw even tighter. She leaded the way into the living room, starting to feel dizzy again.

While being at the police academy they trained how to tell someone that his partner, child or another member of the family had died in an accident or as a result of a crime; but when the casualty was another ZPD officer, it was the Chief's duty to inform the bereaved. As their tactical teams were still following the traces to Evelin and they hadn't heard any news from Nick since he disappeared in the Nocturnal District more than two hours ago, the bunny was assuming the worst when Bogo suddenly arrived. Sven noticed that his sisters-in-law shaking was intensifying, put his other arm supporting around her back and helped her finally to sit down on the coach again. He wanted to retreat but Judy quickly grabbed his paw again.

"Please stay…" she begged with tearful eyes.

Sven sighed, holding her paw with a firm grip and looked questioning to Bogo.

"I would prefer to talk with Miss Hopps one-to-one" he said. The male rabbit nodded slowly but when he tried to break loose from Judy, she started to whimper. Chief Bogo muttered something and rolled his eyes, being on the edge. "Okay! He can stay, Hopps, but please calm down again!" He slowly had a seat in one of the two armchairs opposite the couch. "What I'm about to say is supposed to be confidential" Bogo said in a lower voice while Evelin's husband was sitting down beside Judy and cradling her soothingly.

It took her a few seconds, but when she composed herself again she asked bewildered: "Wait… confidential? Are you implying…" Judy sat up, wiping with her paw over her eyes and nose, "You… you are not here to offer your condolences?"

"Why should I offer …" Bogo looked puzzled at his rabbit officer, then it finally sunk in. "Wait, you thought that's why I'm here?" Judy nodded slowly and the buffalo seemed startled, continuing in an unusual soft voice. "I'm so sorry, Judy. I really didn't mean to increase your worries even more. No, I'm not here to offer my condolences. Admittedly we haven't found Wi… (coughing slightly) Nick, yet, but we are still searching by all available means".

The news took a load off Judy's mind and she took a deep breath, whispering 'Thank heaven!' while Sven hugged her softly. "Okay, what else do you want to talk about then?" she asked, now being curious and eager to help.

"Grizzoli is leading the search for Nick and within this context he requested the telephone record of his mobile. It's just a routine method, but I was called at home by Detective Blackide from our internal affairs department. It seems that your husband tried to get in contact with some registered criminals within the last hour of his disappearing, primarily text messages asking for information regarding an illegal drug named Etorphine and the name of mammals who recently tried to buy it".

"What is Etorphine?" Sven asked puzzled.

"It's an opioid with an efficiency a multiple of thousand times higher than morphine. In the past it was used in tranquilizer guns, but it turned out to be too dangerous when not measured out correctly for the individual size and weight of the mammal, right?" Judy tried to remember the details she had read in a history book about past police practices.

Bogo nodded, "Yes – and small traces of it were found in your apartment. Delgato and Wolford are assuming that Misses Hopps-Brooks was sedated with it by her kidnapper". Judy looked saddened to Sven who had closed his eyes, breathing slowly, but his paws were shaking. "Nevertheless…" Bogo continued, "It wasn't Nick's phone that was monitored, but he was in contact with someone who is related with some other investigations Blackide is leading. When Grizzoli requested Nick's telephone records, the numbers were automatically collated by our systems with current investigations. As that specific contact was flagged as being monitored by internal affairs, the whole document was marked classified as a result, reporting it to Blackide".

"And he finally called you…" Judy concluded and Chief Bogo nodded. "But when the internal affairs department is monitoring this contact, doesn't that mean that someone of the ZPD is in close or regular communication with him? What is the name of the contact Nick talked with? And did you get more information from Detective Blackide so we can interrogate that suspect at the ZPD?"

"Whoa, slow down, Hopps" Bogo grunted. "I'm actually here to ask you if you know any of the mammals Wilde had contacted today" he took a list with numbers out of his pocket. "But I know neither which of those contacts are flagged nor I'm allowed to give you any more information about those internal investigations. Also it's an ongoing undercover investigation, so neither you nor I can talk to the monitored suspect at the ZPD". He handed her the computer printout of Nick's last calls and messages.

Judy read through the whole list, noticing a few contacts they had used as tipsters in the past, mostly gougers and small-time crooks. Nick's shady past proved to be useful from time to time when they needed some insider or underground information. But there were also some she didn't recognize, including a few numbers that called her husband shortly before his mobile went offline.

"And you never heard of those and don't know how Wilde is connected with them?"

Judy slowly shook her head, but got an idea. "No, sir. But I know someone who can help us with this list for a certainty. I can contact him immediately if you agree!"

Bogo was skeptical about the idea to share those information with another stranger, "Are you sure that your informant is a trustworthy source and has useful information?" When Judy nodded confidently, he sighed. "Okay, Hopps. You can call him, but I want to meet him in person. Don't tell him any further details on the phone!"

"I…" Judy hesitated, then finally nodded. "Okay, but I don't know if he will listen to me on the phone. It would be easier to persuade him face-to-face. He is currently close by, I can be back in maybe ten min…"

"No way!" Bogo burst out, interrupting her. "That way we already got lost of Wilde! And for all we know, you were the essence target of the kidnapping. You are going nowhere right now, and even more not alone! Just write down the address and I'm going to meet him!"

"Sir…" Judy sighed. "He wouldn't talk with you, let alone trust you when I'm not present. And even then it will be difficult enough for me to persuade him to help us. But I guarantee you that it's worth the risk, he knows each and every contact on this list, I'm sure!"

"Hopps…" Bogo clenched his fists and tried to stay as calm as possible. The rabbit's disobedience was routinely setting his teeth on edge but he tried hard to keep his temper right now, not wanting to escalate the nerve-racking situation even more.

Judy was already getting up from the couch, looking at him unflinching. "I will try to reach him on the phone, but when that comes to nothing I'm going! You can accompany me, Chief, but I have to urge you to keep a low profile. I don't want to risk the only opportunity we currently have to find Nick!" she turned around without waiting for an answer and quickly walked to her bedroom.

"How dare her!" Bogo snarled scarcely audible, but needless to say that Sven could hear him.

"Please indulge her, Chief…" the rabbit said quietly, slowly getting up from the couch, too. "Judy did mean no harm, she is merely a bundle of nerves tonight, feeling just use- and helpless. So am I. But I will talk to her…" he turned around and slowly followed his sister-in-law to the bedroom.

Chief Bogo was snorting with rage, gazing after the rabbits without saying another word.

"Chief Bogo!" Snarlof hurried into the room, a strange but urgent undertone in his voice.

"Not just yet!" Bogo snapped at his officer without turning around, still unsure what he should do regarding Judy's informant.

"This is really important, chief, you have to come with me!" the polar bear was urging him.

The Cape buffalo sighed annoyed, was everyone disobeying his direct orders today? Bogo turned his head around to call his officer to order, but paused when he noticed the disturbed facial expression of his subordinate. "What's the matter, Snarlof?"

"We've got something new regarding Wilde and the kidnapped rabbit. But you should see for yourself…" Snarlof said in an unsettled voice, then turned around and hurried back to the work room.

* * *

01:12 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (bedroom)

Judy was sitting on the edge of her bed and trying to reach Finnick on his phone when Sven knocked quietly on the door. "Come in" she called and hang up with a frustrated sigh.

"Are you trying to reach this little fox who accompanied you earlier today?" Sven asked tired and closed the door quietly.

Judy played with Nick's wedding ring he had left behind on her nightstand between her fingers and sighed. "Yes, but he isn't answering the phone. How did you know about who I'm trying to call?"

Sven smiled weary and sat beside his sister-in-law. "You introduced him as a long-term friend of Nick, mentioned that he doesn't like cops, he said in turn that he wants to sleep it off in his van that I assume is parked in front of the house, and you just said to your chief that your trustworthy informant is nearby". Sven slowly put his paw on Judy's leg, nudging her with his elbow. "Maybe I'm just a dumb bunny and not a police officer, but I can put one and one together".

Judy had to smile, "Sly f…" she paused and lost her smile again at once. "Sorry… I mean…" she started stammering, but Sven just gave her a soft hug.

"It's okay, you also remind me of Eve all the time", the rabbit whispered.

She returned his hug and sniveled, "They will find them both and get them back to us, for sure".

"I know, Judy" he replied blandly, holding her tight. "I know…"

* * *

01:14 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (work room)

"What …" Bogo started, but paused again. He wild stared on Bradley's computer screen, watching a video that was playing on it. "Is this live?" he eventually gasped.

Bradley nodded slowly. "The tactical teams discovered the traced location, an abandoned warehouse in the Meadowlands, but only found an improvised desk with a computer and a satellite dish to connect it to the internet. During my remote analysis of the hard disk, I found a video file that was still increasing in size. I intercepted the transferred data on the network connection and discovered this live stream".

"You mean, someone is not only streaming but recording this? Can you wind the video back to the start?"

Bradley nodded and started to type in a few commands, switching from the live stream to the still growing video-file. He had to turn the volume up again so Bogo could listen to the introducing talk of an unknown ram, walking around in the room. In the top right corner a table was only just visible, a pregnant rabbit being confined to it. In the middle of the screen they could identify Nick sitting also confined and with a muzzle on a chair. The ram had just explained the two alternatives for the fox, now hauling off for his first punch with the knuckle dusters. Grizzoli and Snarlof were looking the other way and Bradley winced, quickly turning down the volume again.

Bogo watched the scene for a few moments without showing any emotions, then said in a whisper: "Fast forward…"

After a few minutes they reached the end of the recording and the video continued in real time to play the live stream. The ram had just broke the third of Nick's fingers when the screams fade away and the fox eventually passed out.

"I want you to analyze every frame of this video for hints where this is happening, trace every single bit of data manually to its source if necessary! Call in every colleagues of the IT department you need to assist you" Bogo commanded astonishing calm to the jaguar, then turned to Snarlof and Grizzoli. "Marki should comb the whole area with his teams, maybe they are not too far away. Also demand support from the other precincts to support the search: Everyone should contact their informants, call in favors if possible". His voice got something sinister when he pointed with a hoof to the screen: "This dirty bastard is not only threatening the life of a colleague and his family, he is mocking us! This is our top priority and our only case until we could arrest him!"

In the meantime they had to watch on Bradley's monitor how the ram was playing around with a cattle prod, giving off electric sparks that were causing a blue coloring to the picture. "Another thing, for pity's sake!" the chief slowly averted his eyes from the screen. "No word to Hopps or the other victims spouse about this video, even better you turn off the volume completely. Organize some undercover officers in front of the house and uniformed colleagues in the hallway twenty-four-seven. Also inform the responsible precinct in the Tri-Burrow-Area about the situation, they should keep their eyes open. Someone really is on to the Hopps' family – I want to know why, and I want no additional incidents!"

* * *

01:33 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (hallway)

Chief Bogo left the work room in a really bad mood, but now he definitely wanted to talk to this informant Judy had mentioned. There were four incoming calls half an hour before Nick's phone was turned off, Nick could have been kidnapped when he wanted to meet any of them. He had to find out to whom those phone numbers belong and would leave no remedy untried to get this information after what he saw a few minutes ago on Bradley's notebook. Judy didn't return to the living room, yet, so he walked up to the bedroom door and knocked. Nothing. He knocked again and after waiting a few seconds, he opened the door with a queasy feeling: Some bedside lamp was switched on, but the room was empty. He ran back to the living room, cursing this pigheaded bunny, but at the same time being angry with himself – he should have known her better that she wouldn't just sit still.

Bogo grabbed his radio and headed for the front door when Sven suddenly encountered him in the hallway. "Don't get mad at her, chief… she is still on this floor, right over there at the elevator". The rabbit blocked the passage through the door, pointing along the hallway to Judy, who was quietly talking with someone who preferred to stay in the elevator. "Her contact was only willing to come here if they could talk in privacy and I was only willing to support her when she would stay within sight".

"Just get out of my way, Mister Hopps-Brooks. I want to talk with this informant for myself!"

Under normal circumstances, Sven would never had the courage to breast a much larger mammal, let alone an authority like the chief of the ZPD. But it was Nick's and Evelin's life that were at stake right now and all of these ZPD officers were still poking around in the dark after all. After several tries Judy had finally managed to reach an overtired and chippy Finnick on the phone, and like she predicted he didn't took a dim view of coming upstairs in an apartment full off cops and wanted to leave the area already with his van. It was Judy's veiled threat, that she could describe his car as well as his license plate very well, and that currently every single officer of the ZPD was on the streets searching for two missing mammals. Finnick was yelling at her and probably wouldn't condone her for this, but eventually he was willing to meet her upstairs – but he wouldn't leave the elevator and only talk to her alone. Sven wanted to object to this plan and talk with Bogo in advance, but Judy could persuade him that they had no time and couldn't risk to lose this unique chance. He insisted that she took her stun gun along and that he would keep her in view while waiting at the apartment door, but promised to make sure that neither Bogo nor another ZPD colleague would interrupt them.

"I'm sorry, chief. But I'm really unable to let you pass" Sven quickly pulled another stun gun from his pants pocket that he had found on Nick's equipment belt, holding it up with trembling paws. "You can arrest me for all I care after this, but right now I cannot allow you to interrupt this meeting!"

Chief Bogo was staring at the rabbit that pointed the stun gun at him. He could probably overpower him, but Evelin's husband was unstrung to a high degree and would probably injure them both; not to mention that the turmoil would scare off the informant for sure and Hopps would follow him without a second thought, something falling beyond the pale. He must try to de-escalate this situation somehow…

"Mister Hopps-Brooks, I don't want to arrest you" Bogo started, being as calm as possible. "I know that you are desperate, and maybe we gave you the impression that we are not doing everything possible to find your wife. It must be really hard for you to just stay here without being able to do anything but wait. But I assert you, that right now every single officer that is available is working on this case and doing their best to get your both' spouses back. Just take also in consideration that Judy isn't herself and not making rational decisions! I'm just trying to save her from getting up to mischief that would not only risk her career but also everyone's life!"

Sven was breathing deeply, blinking nervously along the hallway – but Judy was still standing in front of the elevator and talking with Finnick. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Bogo moving carefully, so he turned in his direction again, determined to impede him as long as possible.

As being empathetic didn't seemed to work, Bogo decided to try something more aggressive: "Mister Hopps-Brooks, please… you are threatening the chief of the ZPD at gunpoint with a stolen stun gun of a police officer. Until now no harm was done and we still can settle this privately. But you have to put this gun down immediately and let me do my job!" When Sven didn't move, he added: "You are causing a lot of trouble for Officer Hopps and Wilde, as this is one of their duty weapons! They could be suspended for allowing you to use it or just for leaving it lying about!"

"She has no idea that I took it…" Sven muttered, but Bogo shook his head.

"That doesn't matter! I have to arrest you both if you don't hand it over to me immediately!"

"When we can save Evelin or Nick, I'm willing to risk this" Sven suddenly lowered his voice: "But you will not sanction Judy for anything that's happening here right now, she is pregnant and already in frail health".

"Then just give me this stun gun, and I will forget about it!" Bogo said with some urge in his voice.

"You don't understand, chief! While standing here and keeping an eye on Judy, I overheard your conversation in the work room; its right behind this hallway wall, and you were not really talking quietly!" Sven was getting really pale, as he was not only holding the ZPD chief at gunpoint but now even decided to concuss him to save Judy. But Bogo's verbal commands to his colleagues were not the only thing he overheard fifteen minutes ago, and that ultimately convinced him that he had to do this now.

"What are you talking about?" Bogo said slowly, that rabbit actually caught him off-guard now.

"I'm talking about some kind of video you have found and want your colleagues to keep as a secret from us".

"You don't know what you are talking about…" Bogo wanted to object.

"You are right, I cannot look through walls, but we rabbits have a really excellent hearing. You don't know what I'm talking about?" Sven hold the gun now even tighter, his face was desperately twisted with pain and on the verge of crying. "I'm talking about some blood-curdling screams and some piteously crying, for carrots sake!"

Bogo didn't say anything. He wasn't sure how much that rabbit really could hear, but obviously it was enough to count one and one together. Saying anything wrong now could make him ultimately freak out, getting the whole situation out-of-control.

"The only reason I'm not intending to say Judy anything about this, is that she already passed out more than once this evening. Her doctor warned me in confidence to keep all further excitement from her as it would endanger her pregnancy and could result in a spontaneous abortion. So I'm just asking two things from you right now…"

"That is?" Bogo said in a low voice.

"First of all… tell me the truth: Evelin and Nick, are they still alive and do you think there is a realistic chance to find them early enough?"

"Yes, both of it" Bogo muttered. "You have my word of honor".

"Well, okay. Then the only other thing I'm asking for are just a few more minutes for Judy… let her follow through on her conversation with that informant. You can arrest me afterwards, I will not spill any word to her. But give her the chance to help Nick and Evelin".

The Cape buffalo thought about Sven's words for a moment. Then he nodded slowly and took a step back. "Okay, let's hang tide… but I ask you to lower that gun before you are going to hurt anyone".

* * *

01:44 o'clock, Hallway in front of Hopps-Wilde's apartment

"And that's everything you can tell me, Fin?" Judy finished some notes in her notepad and blinked along the hallway to her apartment. She heard some distant talking and discussing for more than ten minutes, presumably Sven trying to hold back Bogo from interrupting her talk with Finnick. But for a few minutes it was quiet now, she only saw Sven's head looking in her direction every now and then.

"Oh, I have quite a lot more to say to you, but let's defer this to later. Just never threaten me ever again, or you will be sorry" Finnick snapped at her, unlocked the stop-button of the elevator and pressed the button for the ground-floor.

"Thank you Finnick, and please take care of yourself!" Judy said with a sad smile. She hoped that their little friend would forgive her behaviors after a while, but she really had no choice. At least she didn't had to threaten him with arrest; after explaining the situation that Nick also vanished and now was most probably in trouble, too, Finnick tried his best to answer her questions.

"Just get that moron of a red fox back…" the lift doors were closing slowly. "Good luck, Hoppsie-Copsie!" Finnick said with an unexpected friendly smile, then the doors snapped shut and the elevator was driving downstairs again.

Judy sighed relieved, that ran better than expected and maybe Finnick wasn't really holding Judy's behavior against her by now. At least Nick was his best friend, too. With the list of contacts and her notepad in her paws, she walked back to her apartment with quick steps.

* * *

01:48 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (hallway)

When Sven heard Judy's footsteps along the hallway, he breathed deeply, handing the stun gun without a further word to Chief Bogo. The Cape buffalo grabbed it quickly, made sure it's secured and put it in his belt with an angry grunt.

"I got all needed information, those should prove really helpful!" Judy entered the apartment with a small smile on her face and wagging with the notepad in her paws.

Sven smiled and hugged her softly, sniveling quietly. "I knew it all along that I can count on you! Now let me just ask you to keep it easy and take good care of yourself…" he gave her a kiss on her cheek and stepped back again.

Judy frowned somewhat. "Yes, of course. But why do you say that?"

"Don't worry about me right now, there are more important things" he said and turned around to Bogo. "Okay, we can go, I will make no resistance".

"What are you talking about, Sven?" Judy made a leap forward, now standing between Sven and Bogo. "What is happening here? Chief?"

Chief Bogo straightened himself, eventually coming to a conclusion. "Nothing. Let's go into your living room and see what you got there, Hopps, and if it was worth all the trouble".

* * *

02:06 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (living room)

The Cape buffalo was writing down some notes on his own while Judy reported all information she got from Finnick. Most of the unknown numbers were only petty criminals: scalping tickets, pirated movies, product counterfeiting, pickpockets … but the fennec fox knew most of them long enough to be sure that they would never go as far as dealing with drugs or even helping in kidnapping a cop. But one single contact was sticking out of that pattern – and Finnick was really feeling uncomfortable to talk about him, being even more surprised to learn that Nick was in contact with Ferris, a ferret and black-marketer of the deepest dye.

"I was informed, that this Ferris has connections to arms smugglers, contract killers, organized crime, drug dealers, blackmailing … he was never arrested as he is keeping his hands clean, officially only bargaining as information broker. But my informant was sure, that when anyone on this list would consider to threaten or even kidnap a cop, Ferris would do so without hesitation – if the price is right. Also he is living in the Nocturnal District, near the South-East-Gateway Nick used, too!"

"Sounds like he is our wanted mammal. Do you have an address? Maybe we should pay him a visit…" Bogo grunted.

"There is no exact address, but I have a description" Judy handed Bogo a note with a sketch of a few side-passages, including the sign that looked like a crescent within a rhomb. "I know you won't let me accompany the task force…"

"You are damn right about this, Hopps!"

"…but I beg you to let me know about anything new you find out".

Chief Bogo nodded, took the note and got up from his seat. "I will send Fangmeyer together with a special forces unit that is able to operate in those dark and small passages within the Nocturnal District". He walked up to the work room, leaving the both rabbits alone, but eventually paused again and turned around: "And Hopps…"

Judy raised her head, "Yes, sir?"

"Good work!" Bogo suggested a smile, then nodded to Sven and disappeared in the small office.

Sven sighed, "I hope they will find them in time".

"Don't worry" Judy smiled somewhat more optimistic now, "As long as they don't find traces indicating otherwise, we should assume that they are both alright and healthy".

"Yeah…" Sven twitched nervously on his shirt. "I will make us some herbal tea, okay?"

* * *

02:27 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (work room)

"Anything new from our tactical teams, Snarlof?" Bogo asked after he had made sure the door to the work room was closed.

"Only some strange coincidence", the polar bear said.

"I don't believe in coincidences, what is it?"

"We had an attempted bank robbery a few months ago we could prevent. Most members of the chartered gang were killed and we could arrest two insiders. The gang leader did escape despite a fine-meshed computer-aided search, a timber wolf named Vlad Below".

"I remember that case, a chartered cracksman was murdered in the hospital before he could made a testimony. Did you find any hints that Below may be involved in this kidnapping?"

"Not directly, sir. But the abandoned warehouse… it's the same that Below used as a hideout back then. And it was Hopps' plan that got his insiders arrested and defrauded him of a spoil worth more than 300.000 Zollars".

Bogo thought about it for a moment, "This could really be just a coincidence, but you should command a few officers to check for more connections nevertheless".

"Yes, sir!" Delgato took his radio, asking the dispatcher for a connection to Rhinowitz.

Bogo took his phone from his pocket, he didn't want to spoil the raid on Ferris' hideout via the public radio. If that ferret was really as well informed as Judy's informant told her, he didn't want to risk to forewarn a possible snitch in his own rows. Arresting Ferris could bring some trouble with internal affairs anyway, but right now that investigation was only second priority to him.

"Fangmeyer? This is Chief Bogo. I have a new task for you and your special operation taskforce: A raid in the Nocturnal District to find and arrest an armed and dangerous ferret named Ferris. We believe, that he was Officer Wilde's last contact and wanted to meet with him." – "Yes, use of live bullets is permitted, but we need Ferris alive by all means!" – "As soon as you can mobilize your taskforce, time is of the essence! I will upload all available information onto our secure server. Access code '95-Over-7-Blue-5', the operation is classified as secret, only report directly to me" – "Good luck!"

As soon as he ended the call, Bogo turned to Bradley. "I need access to upload a classified mission order…"

* * *

02:57 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (living room)

Judy was laying on the couch, starring at the ceiling. Sven was kneeling on the floor, cleaning up the blood stains on the table and floor with some hot water and a sponge, after asking one of the two polar bears – he didn't remember their name – for permission. When he walked back to the kitchen to put the cleaning supplies away again, he viewed the photos on the fridge: Nick and Judy dancing under a tree surrounded by cherry blossoms, Judy and Evelin cheering while driving a rollercoaster, a picture of Violet, Stella, Merlin, Alisha and Harry – the youngest litter born this summer of Stu and Bonnie Hopps, a photo of their shared wedding and a picture of Judy's last ultrasonic examination.

"Excuse me…?" a lion in a police uniform had quietly entered the living room.

"Yes?" Judy got up immediately.

"There is a female rabbit at the door, she said her name was Doctor Kathrin Alisson and she wants to meet with you, Officer Hopps".

Judy looked somewhat irritated, neither had she saw that officer in her apartment before nor had she heard the doorbell. "Yes, of course, she is my family doctor. Sorry, but who are you?"

"My name is Officer Randy Pawstrike, I keep guard on this floor tonight" the lion said, then left the room again.

"Did you know that the apartment is guarded?" Judy asked Sven and frowned.

"No, but it stands to reason for me", he walked back into the kitchen and started to boil some more water for a fresh tea.

"Good evening, Misses Hopps-Wilde. I wasn't sure if you are still awake" Doctor Alisson said with a soft smile when she entered the room. "How are you? Did you had any more sudden feelings of faintness?"

"Hello, Doctor Alisson. I'm fine, but thank you for visiting" Judy said weakly and yawned.

The older rabbit walked up to the couch and watched her patient closely. "You didn't had some sleep, did you?"

"Every time I close my eyes I got some nightmares. Also I prefer to stay awake to be informed as soon as there are any news".

"Any more dizziness, nausea or unusual pain?" Doctor Alisson asked but Judy shook her head. When Sven brought a can with fresh tea and a third cup, she turned around. "What about you, Mister Hopps-Brooks?"

Instead of giving an answer Sven just shrugged, put the can with tea down on the table and sat on the couch beside Judy again. The doctor sighed and shook her head, sitting down herself on an armchair. It was obvious that both rabbits were frazzled, physically and mentally. But Judy's bloodshot eyes and jittery pulse were still somewhat worrisome.

"I do understand that you are both stirred up and sorrowful. But be careful that you are not biting off more than you can chew, in particular you Misses Hopps-Wilde! You are in frail health and the pregnancy is also more stressful than normal, leaving hardly any scope for additional stress factors. This can lead to really dangerous complications for your pregnancy after all". Judy winced a bit frightened and Doctor Alisson sighed again. "We will work it out somehow, but only together. Come on, I want to examine you more thoroughly to make sure that everything is really okay".

* * *

03:15 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (work room)

"Okay, good job. Bring Ferris directly to the mentioned safe house, we will meet there to interrogate him. All arrested accomplices are hold incommunicado, no phone call or contact to others for the time being! I don't want anyone to be informed about the detention" Bogo ended the call and wanted to leave the work room.

"Chief!" Bradley exclaimed suddenly, sounding alarmed.

Bogo already had his hoof on the door handle and turned around impatiently. "I'm in a rush, what is it?"

The jaguar was typing furiously on his keyboard, "We were trying to trace the encrypted video signal back to its source, but every time we are on the point of identifying the source-IP, the encryption key changes as well as the used proxy servers and we have to start from scratch".

"Are you saying that the whole IT Forensic Department of the ZPD isn't able to track the source location of a video signal?" Bogo asked rabidly. "What about image analysis? Any saliences or other clues to limit the location?"

"We are still working on it, there are no identifiable serial numbers, no environmental sounds and there is no natural lighting through the only cellar window visible during night hours".

Bogo muttered something and wanted to leave, but Bradley hold him back again: "This wasn't what I wanted to show you, chief! The video wasn't visible all the time as I was working on the tracking, and I switched off the sound as suggested. Hence I didn't notice immediately…" he typed another command and the screen turned black.

"What happened, where is the video stream?"

"That's what I'm trying to say, the transmission was aborted on the source-side and we have no further possibilities to trace it now".

"Can you playback the last recorded minutes?"

"Just a moment, I'm currently trying to recover the video file, its header was corrupted when the transmission aborted" Bradley said while typing something into a hex editor, modifying the saved video file directly.

Bogo took a look on his watch and grumbled, he wanted to interrogate that ferret as soon as possible but the aborted transmission could also be important.

"Okay, that should do the trick…" Bradley started the video, breathed deeply and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Bogo asked with another look to his watch. "Your shift started more than sixteen hours ago, maybe you should alternate with a colleague and take a rest".

"I'm going nowhere until we have rescued them… sir". Bradley said a bit too rough. "Sorry, I just need another cup of coffee. Okay, I'm forwarding to the last five minutes of the recording now".

* * *

03:02 o'clock, unknown hideout

Nick was on the verge of unconsciousness again, having no idea how much time had passed already. He couldn't reckon that the ram really would let Evelin go once he was dead. Of course, he would never consider to kill her – or anybody else – to safe himself, even if he would believe that he was released afterwards (what he didn't). But as long as he could stick it out, Evelin was kept alive, forced to watch him suffer continuously. He could only guess that this mental torture was originally planned for Judy and her sister being kidnapped was indeed a mistake.

Evelin's sobbing was rather quiet. She had cried and shouted her head off during the last hours, having red eyes and a sore throat by now. Feeling dizzy and trembling from coldness she was drained and passing out repeatedly. She couldn't think straight by now, without her gag she already would have begged Nick to do whatever needed. A short pain from a neck bite would finally end all of this, including her own mental pain – the thought was more and more tempting to her by the minute.

"Well, you really manage to impress me, fox" the ram walked around Nick's chair, then slowly retracted a long needle out of the fox's shoulder who gave another wince of pain. "I had quite a few orders in the past years, some much more heavyweight than you. But only very few didn't pass out after puncturing their ulnar nerve" the ram snickered. "That's really promising, giving me the opportunity to try something new".

Nick was sitting slumped on his chair, not even raising his head anymore to look what his punisher was up to next. He closed his eyes and was imagining how he first kissed Judy in the Hollow bar, her dumbfounded but delighted face when he proposed to her in the cinema, the glint in her eyes when they tied the knots; this cute little bunny meant the world to him and he would give his right arm to see this lovely face just one more time. This thought was all that was still keeping him conscious right now…

The ram was standing beside Nick again, removed quietly whistling the muzzle and jerked the fox's head backwards by his ears. "You know, my grandfather was a successful dentist. While most other children are afraid to go to the dentist, I often sat in his medical office and watched him. It always gave me some sweet… sensation, watching those mammals full of fear when they sat down in his dental treatment chair. It didn't matter if it was a young sheep or an old hippo, once they sat down in that chair, they were nothing more than a picture of misery and my uncle would spell doom for them: Was it some tooth decay or even a hole in the tooth? The sound of his drill was fascinating. But I will pass a secret to you…" the ram lifted his right arm, holding a rusty pincers right before Nick's face. "I loved it the most when he had to extract a tooth! Of course he used a local anesthetic on his patients… but that's really overrated in my opinion".

When he grabbed with his hoof Nick's snout to open it, the fox started to snicker, making the ram pause for a moment with irritation. After a few seconds he even started to laugh quietly.

"It seems, someone really has a thrill of anticipation, mh?" the ram chuckled and wanted to continue, but Nick mumbled something undistinguishable. "What did you say, pred-worm?" he asked impatiently, but Nick could only whisper. With a curious grin he leaned forward so that the fox could whisper into his ear.

"I will claw out your eyes and will make you pay for this" Nick whispered with a lame voice and started to giggle again.

The ram straightened up again with a sardonic smile. "Will you, mh? You are dead-alive, still bound to a chair and your fingers are broken…" he snickered amused.

Nick was still giggling and said, this time loud and clearly understandable: "Right, and because of this it was no skin off my nose to self-broke my thumb and free myself from your handcuffs". He suddenly stopped giggling and with a blazing fast movement he stroke the thunderstruck ram in the face with his unbroken claws, making him scream in agony. The ram tumbled backwards, but Nick had already entangled the other arm around his neck, holding on to him with the claws buried into his fur. Angry and with a bleeding nose the ram turned around, knocking Nick down, but the fox didn't let loose and eventually managed to bite into his neck. Screaming with pain the ram ran backward against the wall several times, trying to shake off the fox but only shattered the chair thereby. With Nick's legs now being free, too, he kicked the ram into his back of the knees, causing them both to fall down. But several hours of torture had left some marks and Nick slide weakened over the floor. Angrily and on all fours the ram ran towards him, tossing the already abused body of the fox up into the air with his horns. Nick crashed against the wall, knocking down the notebook with the webcam and groaned with pain.

The ram pulled himself together, grabbed a large knife from the floor and yelled foaming: "You don't wanna play anymore, clever-fox? Okay, that's up to you!" With large steps he walked up to the still bound Evelin who had watched the fight, now being pale with terror when the ram winded up the knife, ready to slash her. "Game over".

* * *

03:26 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (bedroom)

After Bogo had witnessed Nick's failed attempt to overwhelm their captor and the outage of the video stream, he had to take a decision. Nick's and Evelin's time was ultimately running out and he had not enough time to question the arrested ferret the whole night. He would need the help of an experienced interrogation officer for this, but wasn't sure who he could bring into the loop. Angry but also frustrated he left the work room, but only discovered Sven sitting on the couch in the living room.

"The situation has changed, Mister Hopps-Brooks. Where is Officer Hopps?" he muttered.

A few minutes later it knocked at Judy's bedroom door. Doctor Alisson had just finished her examination.

"Come in" Judy said tired while sitting on the edge of her bed, buttoning up her blouse again.

Sven opened the door, accompanied by Bogo, and both were looking really worried.

"What happened?" Judy asked in consternation even before the two could say a word.

* * *

03:54 o'clock, ZPD safe house, unknown location

"The captive target is in the next room, sir" Fangmeyer saluted when Chief Bogo entered the safe house.

Bogo grunted something, walked past his Detective and eventually entered the other room. Ferris was handcuffed and sitting on a chair, two more tigers in protective vests and dark uniform watching him. The ferret didn't seem to be really worried about the situation, leaning backwards and eyeing up the Cape buffalo.

"You must be the one in charge here" Ferris smiled. "Well, I'll have a 47's Château Cheval Blanc and a cheese platter to begin with. Oh, and do you have nigirizushi? Not this deep-frozen stuff, I'm talking about some freshly made one".

"Somebody here swallowed a clown for breakfast, mh?" Bogo smiled slyly, then turned around to Fangmeyer. "A funny guy you got there…" he chuckled for a moment, but out of a sudden he turned back to the ferret, leaned forward and supported himself snorting with rage on the table. "You think you are clever? Feeling secure and unimpeachable because of your contacts, huh? Must be a really big gun if you actually believe you can get away with killing a cop" Bogo's voice was low and threatening.

"You have got nothing on me, Buffalo Bill, but I will seek damages from you and every single mammal that charged my residence. Even your grandchildren will still have to pay for your little mistake here" Ferris smiled, still unimpressed. "And now I want to ring my lawyer. Dismissed, Sitting Bull".

Bogo straightened up slowly. "Do you see a phone in here?" he pretended to look around the room. "Or any of your friends? Not me! However, what I'm seeing are some loyal and faithful special forces in a soundproofed room, together with a sassy and smug ferret that killed a colleague of them, and sadly just disappeared without trace out of a sudden. Maybe you really have some influential friends, and when they are going to file a missing mammal report for you, I will promise them with my friendliest smile that we will keep a lookout for you. The partner of the officer you killed will be really eager to take care of this case! But eventually they will just assume that the floor was getting too hot so you decided to leave the country".

Ferris kept smiling at first, but Bogo's voice was cold and calculating and his smile getting more and more sinister during his talk. When the ferret finally replied, he wasn't smiling anymore and lost most of his confidence. "You are bluffing, you are a highly decorated cop, bubbling over with self-righteousness. Never would you overstep the mark. It would taint your oh so shiny badge…"

Chief Bogo seemed to think about the ferret's words for a moment, took off his badge and eyed it in his hoof. "Maybe you are right, it would taint the badge I swore an oath to. But do you know what causes an even worse taint?" he angrily closed his hoof, fiercely clenching the badge. "The pointlessly shed blood of my officers. Shed by some low life like you. I'm really sick of it and going to clean my city once and for all, at all costs!" Bogo turned around to Fangmeyer who had watched the talking blandly. "I count on you, dispose him afterwards at the usual location".

The tiger saluted and adumbrated a short nod to his both colleagues that were flanking the ferret. One of them put his arm around Ferris' neck, tightening his grip without hesitation, while Bogo left the room, shutting the door behind himself.

"WAIT!" Ferris yelled in panic, "We can bargain about this!"

"You have nothing to offer but your pathetic life" Bogo muttered without turning around, but still paused within the doorframe.

"I swear, I didn't kill the fox!"

"If you did it yourself or ordered one of your paid thugs to do it doesn't matter".

"No! He was still alive when we turned him in, it was just a paid job to kidnap him! We brought him to the warehouse that's under foreclosure in the 13th Fog Street in the Rainforest District!" Ferris was gasping for air as the tiger was still holding him in a chokehold.

Bogo hesitated just a short moment, "Forget about it, we already found it as well as Officer Wilde… or what was left of him. You are really a sick bastard" he turned his head slowly and flashed his eyes at the now frightened ferret. "But don't worry, we will grant you a merciful end – we are no monsters like you" Bogo snorted and finally left the room.

"Oh god, no! WAIT!" Ferris gasped for air again, struggling frantically. "I can give you the name of the contract killer who did this! And I can also describe you the client who paid for Wilde's abduction!"

Bogo allowed himself some time before entering the room again with a deadpan. After a short gesture with his hoof the tiger eased his grip somewhat and Fangmeyer left the room with a quick nod. The chief grabbed into his pocket and slapped down a notebook and a pencil onto the table. "You better not waste my time, or they can only identify you via DNA…"

* * *

03:22 o'clock, hideout in the 13th Fog Street, Rainforest District

Evelin cringed when she heard how Nick snapped his own thumb after the ram had removed the muzzle and while it narrated his little story about his grandfather. She didn't understand why he did such a thing until the fox tried to overpower their kidnapper out of a sudden. The fight was going on for several minutes, but the ram was not only bigger and sturdier, Nick's injuries were an additional handicap. After nearly ten minutes the combat was decided when the ram threw Nick through the air with his horns, knocking over both the table with the tools and also the computer. Evelin could hear him groan with pain, but their offender was already getting up again. With a large knife in his hoofs, he slowly walked up to the table she was still strapped onto. Pale with terror she watched with widened eyes how the ram was winding up the knife above her helpless body, a mad glint in his eyes.

"Game over" he ranted and let the blade whizzing downwards. Evelin squinted her eyes shut, made a quick prayer and eventually screamed into her gag with deadly terror, expecting the pain overwhelming her body.

But nothing happened, and after what seemed like an eternity she slowly opened her eyes again and her scream faded away. The ram had sunk onto his knees, rolled his eyes and finally collapsed passed out. Evelin had no idea what just happened and looked around. She found Nick, kneeling a few meters away on the floor and with something similar like a gun in his paw, breathing heavily.

"So, this is the effect of Etorphine" Nick said with a low voice, got up and walked limping up to Eve. "I wish he would have used it on me hours ago, his blathering was worse than the beatings" he mumbled.

Evelin was starring puzzled, then started to sob – but this time with a weak smile. In the meantime the fox took the knife and started to cut the ropes of her bonds. When he carefully removed her gag, she laughed quietly sobbing. "Even now you still have to yield a sly comment?"

"I'm just a dumb fox" Nick shrugged with his shoulders. "Stay lying down a bit more, I'm going to fetter this sadist and then will have a look after you".

"No offence, but maybe _I_ should rather have a look after _you_ " Evelin was still sobbing, rubbing her sore wrists. "Thank you, Nicky. I owe you my life and I will never ever forget what you did for me today" she sobbed.

Nick used the cut rope to bind the ram's arms and feeds together, suppressing to cry of pain because of his broken fingers and used his teeth as an aid to tighten the knots; Evelin already had to hear enough of his screams for tonight. "Don't get me wrong, but I would much rather that you _would_ forget about all of this…" he muttered.

The rabbit was still sobbing and holding her belly when Nick was painfully getting up again.

"You should try to take a deep breath, Eve. He didn't hurt you, did he?" he viewed her worried. The question seemed ridiculous when asked by Nick: his fur was bloodstained, one eye and his lips swollen, burns in his fur from the cattle prod, limping, broken ribs and fingers, stuffy breathing and whistling respiratory sounds, … it was beyond Evelin's gasp how the fox with this bad condition was even able to stay conscious, let alone stand up and talk with her.

After being constrained on the table for nearly twelve hours in this cold and drafty room, wearing nothing more than a dress and crying for the last hours, Evelin was also shattered: Sore joints, aching muscles, trembling from hypothermia, tearstained eyes and a hoarse throat. She also had a recurring pain in her belly that started a few hours ago and was getting worse. But still she tried to keep a stiff upper lip despise being afraid, Nick already had done enough for her. "I'm… okay, Nicky" she spoke pressed with a pinched smile.

Nick couldn't smell anything with his swollen nose and his view was blurred, but it still didn't slip his attention that Evelin was in pain and nearly freezing to death. He looked around but couldn't find anything in the dimly lit room to use as a blanket. He sighed, but hesitated to touch Evelin's arm. "Eve, don't try and fool a former hustler." Nick was only whispering painful. "You are freezing and trembling in every limb. I would warm you up, but… I'm somewhat untidy and all this blood wouldn't be very pleasant for you" he retracted his paw again and looked like a dying duck in a thunderstorm.

"N-Nicky, don't…" she grabbed after his arm, but only brushed him to not cause any pain. "It's n-not… I'm not d-disgusted, only worried to h-hurt you" Evelin tried to suppress the chatter of her teeth while speaking.

Nick slowly leaned forward, putting his arms around the rabbit's neck and shoulders. She hesitated but eventually put her arms also around his neck so Nick could lift her up carefully, pulling her body against his and cradling her softly. It was using the last of his strength and all of his willpower. Evelin's body was actually reducing Nick's pain somewhat by cooling his wounds, but that was also a bad sign as she was really hypothermic. It took a few minutes, Nick had laid beside Evelin on the table and embracing her with his arm, legs and tail, but as soon as she was feeling a bit warmer again, she started to sob uncontrollably. Her brother-in-law had closed his eyes, breathing really slowly and crawling soothingly her back and head. But the sobbing and trembling wasn't the only thing he noticed and after ten more minutes he sighed.

"How long, Eve?" he whispered.

She continued to sob and sniveled quietly, "What do you mean?"

"How long are you already in labor, Eve? Or do you think I cannot sense how you are jerking in pain every few minutes?"

"It started a few hours ago, but it cannot be, it's too early!" Evelin sounded frightened and started to cry quietly. "They will… stop again!" she grimaced again, groaning quietly.

"I fear not. Your contractions are coming with increasing frequency and you know it". Nick opened his eyes again and leaned his head backward to look Evelin into her eyes. "Listen Eve, I have no idea when someone will find us here. The door has an electronic key lock and I doubt that our captor will give us the code voluntary, let alone the fact that he is still stunned for a while. I couldn't find a phone in the ram's pockets when I fettered him and the notebook was destroyed when it absorbed my fall…"

"You want to say that we cannot expect any help for an indefinite time and we are on our own".

Nick nodded caring, "I know this was a terrible day, you are exhausted and probably afraid. But you cannot ignore your body now or you and your kits are at a serious risk"

"I'm really frightened, Nicky... it's getting really painful, and under these conditions…"

"Don't be afraid, I'm here for you…" he winked with his bloodshot eye. "And you can be glad of it because out of all foxes in Zootopia you could be locked-in with I'm most probably the only one who read a book or two about rabbit pregnancies recently".

Evelin stopped sobbing and laughed quietly. "I'm glad that you are here with me…" she cringed again, grabbing his paw. "I don't think there is a lot of time left!" Nick climbed down the table again and slowly undressed his shredded shirt. The rabbit smiled softly: "Not that I'm not appreciating this view under normal conditions, Nicky…"

The fox hinted a smile, too, then wiped with the piece of cloth his paws and the table as clean as possible and hold her paw again. "Everything will be alright, I promise you. We are now both going to breathe deeply… lay back and try to relax, Eve".

* * *

04:19 o'clock, Hopps-Wilde's apartment (living room)

Sven sat beside Judy on the couch together with Bradley, Snarlof and Grizzoli were standing near them; they all were listening unstrung to the conversations on the radio. Doctor Alisson had tried to persuade Judy that this was too stressful, but of course the rabbit had a mind of her own: About an hour ago Chief Bogo summarized what happened without going into details, finally asking her for some handy tips to interrogate Ferris as he couldn't risk to let any other officer in on his arrest and she was still one of his most talented officers when it came to questioning suspects. Judy's suggestion didn't please Bogo, but he eventually agreed that it was their best chance. Doctor Alisson made sure, that Judy was really able to support the Chief during this operation, but eventually she had to go home to get a few hours of sleep herself. Again she made Judy and Sven promise to call her in case of an emergency, leaving another small dosage of the light sedative behind for Judy – just to be sure.

While Bogo was driving to the safe house, Judy walked through the official profile of Ferris that Bradley had downloaded from the police database. The Cape buffalo was wearing a hidden earpiece when he started his conversation with Ferris, getting tips and instructions from Judy who was listening to it on the radio, sitting in her living room. Threatening the ferret with jail time would have been a waste of effort. The Chief of the ZPD was also a prominent mammal in Zootopia, Ferris would never believe that the buffalo would commit violence against him just to get a confession. Their only chance was to bluff, pretending that they already found Nick's corpse – and that his death was ultimately driving the upright character of the chief to extreme measures. Ferris was a gambler and an information-monger. If they could sell him that Chief Bogo was on a vendetta and had hired a loyal Special Forces unit to finally take the law into his own paws, Judy was sure that Ferris would try everything to bargain with him – according to his profile he was profoundly convinced that everyone was willing to bargain.

Judy's plan did work out and the ferret revealed the address of a warehouse in the Rainforest District. Bogo already wanted to abort the interrogation and send Fangmeyer's team, but Judy hold him back – she was sure that Ferris wouldn't bargain with his most valuable information on his first try. After Bogo said that Nick was dead the ferret would appeal reliable by telling them the address of the warehouse without having disclosed some really important information. So they had to up the stakes … and got the name of a contract killer – a ram called 'Bud Ramstad' – and the description of a Timber Wolf that paid for Nick's abduction.

Fangmeyer had left the safe house like preconcerted and was, together with his small unit, on his way to the named address. They had just arrived at the facility and started to search it with infrared cameras, but the warehouse was rather large.

"Main floor secured, now entering the lower basement" Fangmeyer radioed via their encrypted channel – only his team, Chief Bogo with his earpiece and Bradley's notebook could communicate this way.

Judy were huddling on the couch, Sven embracing her carefully. After the interrogation was finished, Snarlof and Grizzoli tried to convince her that she and Sven shouldn't listen to the mission reports of Fangmeyer's team. Nobody knew what they would discover in that warehouse but the last seconds of the video stream were ominous and they all wanted to spare the rabbits some bad news via a radio message. If they were still hold captive at that warehouse at all.

"We found a roosting place. It's abandoned. Still no heat signatures" another team member radioed.

Bradley's notebook played a notification sound and Judy could read a small popup on the screen before the jaguar quickly closed it. "What video are you working on?" she asked curiously – the only videos she knew of in this case were those of the security cameras. But the popup notified about a finished video segmentation analysis, a process of automatically analyzing every single frame of a video by their 'Trinity' software – something that is done with all videos of the security cameras nevertheless. That message indicated, that Bradley had uploaded a foreign video to their servers. But what kind of video?

"Just… a security camera feed we found in… the suspects house" Bradley disabled all further notifications on his notebook and brought the communication software back into the foreground.

Judy's ears twitched, not only was Bradley a really bad liar, the fact that he was obviously hiding some information was a bit alarming. "Brad, I just successfully beaconed an interrogation via radio, don't even try to lie to me!"

"Maybe you should relax a bit, Ju…" Sven interrupted her. "They are tracking down Evelin and Nick in that warehouse right now, who cares for an unimportant video right now".

Judy stared at him puzzled – why wasn't Sven also eager to find out more about a video that was related to their case? She could notice that he was getting nervous, too, but still pretend to not care …

"What are you talking about, Sven? Of course I care for everything that is even only slightly relev…" Judy began but was interrupted by the radio, much to Bradley's relief.

"We have a closed door, secured with an electronic key lock. Two positive heat signatures within the room, both on the floor, not moving. Trying to bypass the lock now".

"Sweet cheese and crackers" Judy gasped with her paw above the mouth. "They are really there, we have to go immediately!" she jumped off the couch and Sven followed her. But Snarlof blocked off their way to the hallway.

"We have orders to stay here, Hopps" he muttered.

"Get outta my way!" Judy said angrily.

"Hopps…" Grizzoli appeared at her side, impatiently rolling his eyes. He was always taking umbrage at hers and Wilde's rebellious behavior, and the fact that they got away with it most of the time. And he wasn't willing to disobey a direct order from the chief for them. "Please, sit down again. We are waiting for further instructions and until then neither you nor anybody else is leaving this apartment!"

"How dare you…" she snarled at the polar bear, but Sven put a paw on her shoulder.

"Judy, please. Just calm down" he said with a trembling voice.

"I don't …" she began, but was interrupted by the radio again.

"Using a Frisbee to open the door"

"Did they say a Frisbee?!" Sven asked puzzled and Judy sighed.

"A detonating cord, rolled up to a flat spiral with an adhesive film on one side. It's attached to a door or lock, causing a small but targeted explosion to burst it open" she explained, walking up and down the living room.

* * *

04:40 o'clock, hideout in the 13th Fog Street, Rainforest District

There was a loud explosion at the door that made Evelin wince, but Nick didn't move. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against some large pipe, and had embraced the rabbit in an attempt to keep her warm. But maybe ten minutes ago he stopped answering to Evelin and eventually got unconscious. When the door was forced open, Evelin was blinded by some flashlights and leaned protectively forward.

"One ram down, fettered and not conscious" one of the masked tigers in uniform said apparently to no one special, maybe into a hidden radio.

"There they are!" another tiger yelled, hurried towards them and kneeled down right beside the fox.

"Main targets found, standby" the first tiger said into his radio.

Fangmeyer carefully put his paw onto the trembling rabbits shoulder. "Don't worry, Ma'am. We are from the ZPD and want to rescue you. Are you okay?" Evelin nodded slowly without raising her head. "Wilde?" Fangmeyer turned to the fox, but got no answer. "Hey, Nick! Can you hear me, pal?" he took off his gloves and tried to feel Nick's pulse on his neck.

"He is alive" Evelin whispered weakly, this time slowly raising her head, "But he passed out some time ago and his breathing and heartbeat is fading away" she sobbed. Fangmeyer nodded and wanted to help her to get up, but Evelin just shook her head, leaning forward and embracing Nick again.

Fangmeyer pressed a button on his collar that apparently was some kind of microphone: "Misses Hopps-Brooks is alive and responsive but Officer Wilde is unconscious". He turned around when one of his colleagues came running with a first aid bag and gave him some place to examine the two victims.

"We secured the rest of the lower basement, no one else is here. The ambulance is arriving in a few minutes" the other tiger said while getting some gauze from the backpack and an infusion bag.

* * *

05:15 o'clock, in front of the warehouse in the 13th Fog Street, Rainforest District

When Snarlof and Grizzoli arrived in their police rover, two ambulances and several other police cars with flashing blue lights were blocking the street. The moment the car stopped, both rear doors flung open and Judy as well as Sven leaped out of the car and dash across the street.

In the first ambulance the ram was examined, handcuffed to the stretcher and one officer of Fangmeyer's task force watching him. Judy ran past it after a quick look, opened the backdoor of the second ambulance and leaped onto the footboard, Sven closely behind her.

"Nick!" / "Evelin!" both rabbits exclaimed at once.

Nick was laying down on a stretcher, most of his body wrapped up in extemporary bandages and an IV line in his arm. He was conscious again, but still too weak to raise his head. Evelin sat beside him on a bench, also having an IV line and wrapped in a heating blanket. She had tears in her eyes while a paramedic was taking her blood pressure, but when she turned her head to Sven and Judy she smiled happily.

Sven hurried to his wife, engulfing her in a firm hug with tears of joy in his eyes. "I thought that I will never see you again, whiskers!" he sobbed quietly.

"Hey, carrots" Nick whispered really quite and tried to smile at his wife.

Judy was white-faced when she approached Nick and viewed all his injuries, starting to cry. "Sweet cheese and crackers, Nick! What for blueberries sake happened to you?" She didn't even had the courage to touch him and tears were running down her cheeks – but Judy still smiled and was glad that he was alive after all.

"Just a small dissent with your little sister, carrots" Nick whispered and tried to smile even more.

"What are you talking about, dumb fox?" Judy laughed with a sob and wiped with her paw some tears away.

"Well, I held the view that a warm and cozy hospital bed will be the right place to give birth for a cute little bunny, but Eve decided that a cold and wet cellar room would be better" he coughed painfully, but then tried to smile again.

"W-what?" Judy asked with a puzzled grin.

Nick turned his head around to the two other rabbits, Sven looking as puzzled as Judy. Evelin snuffled with a sleepy smile and slowly pulled the heating blanket to the side, revealing four tiny, furless bunny babies that were huddling against her, sleeping peacefully.


	30. 3x09 - Licking Wounds

**A/N:**

There it is, the long awaited update and next chapter! Sorry to all readers that had to wait for so long. I had some kind of a writer's block, as the story had a rather dark theme for the last chapters. But I wasn't inactive the whole time, as I'm contributing a few stories to the "What if…"-Project by Cimar WildeHopps. The first one is already published and I will cross-publish it in a few days also on my accounts. As there was quite some positive response to it, I will add a few more chapters to that story, too. So if you like some fluffy and a bit comedic stories, you may want to take a look at those.

In the meantime, there is also quite some artwork available for this story! Besides two complete comics to chapters 3x01 and 3x06, there are also a few other drawings like the wedding-picture of the double-wedding with Nick/Judy and Sven/Evelin! Also, a picture showing Evelin and Sven with their newborn kits, sitting in the hospital, is available for this chapter. You can find all artwork on my account on DeviantArt under the nickname "Anheledir"! I'm also posting the status and some snippets from upcoming chapters there, so take a look if you like.

For the future of this story, I have decided, that it is time to slowly come to an end: There will be a few more chapters to finish that big story-arc that actually started way back in episode 1x07, and there will probably be a sequel to this story. But this one is already going on for so long. As it was also my first fanfiction, I'm carrying quite some legacy with bad writing and grammar with me in the early chapters. I will rework those, once I finished the story. And the introduced OCs and Nick and Judy's relationship will be part of most upcoming stories, making this one some kind of an (hopefully interesting) introduction. But now let's start with the actual chapter, I know you want to read more about little baby bunnies ;-)

* * *

 _"Dogs are wise. They crawl away into a quiet corner and lick their wounds and do not rejoin the world until they are whole once more." -Agatha Christie_

* * *

Both Sven and Judy were widening their eyes when they saw those four tiny, furless kits, cuddling in Eve's lap with closed eyes.

"Oh my goodness, Eve!" Judy squeaked with pleasure, holding her paws over her mouth.

Sven couldn't say a word and had tears of joy in his eyes, carefully reaching out for his little kits and finally pet them carefully.

"They just didn't want to wait any longer" Evelin sniffled with a happy smile. "I thought about naming the two boys 'Nicky' and 'Pips,' adapted from Nick's name. They wouldn't be alive without him".

"That's an excellent idea, hon" Sven smiled happily, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "What do you think, Nick?"

All three rabbits turned their head to the red fox on the stretcher, but Nick had his eyes closed with a soft smile on his snout and didn't react. Judy's happy smile disappeared at once, and with a concerned look, she turned her ears in his direction, carefully putting her paw on his cheek.

"Nick… are you okay? Say something, dumb fox…" Judy whispered, but the slight twinge of panic in her voice didn't slip neither Sven's nor Evelin's attention. The worried doe tried to feel his pulse on his neck, but Judy's paw was just trembling too much. She couldn't even concentrate enough to listen to his heartbeat, her own whooshing blood and her heart that was palpitating with fear were all she could hear right now. "Nick! Wake up! Please…" she started to sob and fell down on her knees.

Sven leaped up from the bench, searching for the medic who left them just a few moments ago. Evelin bundled up her kits again, then stroked with her paw over Judy's head and ears.

"Calm down, sis. He is only sleeping, I can still hear his heartbeat. It's a little bit slow, but consistent" Eve smiled somewhat.

"A-Are y-you sure?" Judy sobbed and wiped some tears away with the back of her paw.

"Yes, you are just too psyched to hear it" Evelin smiled exhausted to Judy and padded on the bench. "Come here, sit down, Juju. Don't worry about Nick, the medic gave him a sedative just before you and Sven arrived and it's probably taking effect now. He really deserves a break", Eve reached out to cover Nick with his blanket.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, what happened to your wrists?" Judy gasped, only now realizing that her sister had sore streaks at her wrists and ankles.

"It's where the manacles were. Could be worse, actually." Evelin put one arm around Judy's shoulders and leaned her head against hers – suddenly starting to sob quietly.

Judy turned around and held her sister tight, stroking her head and ears. "I'm so sorry, Eve! That's all my fault. But you are safe now, I promise."

Evelin was still sobbing quietly when Sven finally came back together with the emergency doctor. The white cougar looked questioning to the two rabbits, but the younger sister made a small gesture with her paw, then wiping some tears away. "I'm okay, but my sister is worried about her husband here…" she sniffled without disengaging from Judy's hug.

"He was talking when we arrived, but now isn't reacting anymore. How bad are his injuries? Will he be okay?" Judy asked worried, still tickling Evelin's head and shoulders.

The white cougar looked a bit skeptical. "I cannot provide any medical information to anyone other than immediate family. Sorry to ask this, but is he really your husband, Ma'am?"

Judy sighed and rolled her eyes, nodding slowly. "Yes, we are actually married. My name is Judy Hopps-Wilde. Furthermore, we are both officers with the ZPD and partners. So would you please tell me what's up with him, or do I really have to call some colleagues to confirm this first, Doctor…?"

The cougar slowly shook his head, "Jacob Marcotte, Ma'am. And I didn't want to judge you, it's just my job to ask". Jacob put on his stethoscope and listened to Nick's heartbeat and other breath sounds. Afterward, he took the blood pressure cuff from a rack and checked his blood pressure, closely monitored by a worried looking Judy. After he had finished his quick examination, he turned to the rabbit and smiled softly.

"For the moment he is okay, I gave him a sedative. His blood pressure is a bit weak, but because of that, he's getting a transfusion with haemapure. The biggest risks were his hypothermia and a pleural effusion caused by trauma, probably two broken ribs on his left side. I inserted a thoracic catheter to remove the blood from the chest cavity, but we still have to take an X-ray of his chest to see how things look in there. Also, he seems to have suffered some trauma to his face, and his cheek bone is more than likely fractured. That's a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. Fortunately, the broken fingers on his right paw should heal without further complications. The burns will probably result in some scarring, though, and…"

"Please… stop, enough already" Judy blubbered out, her whole body trembling. "Will he recover?"

"I cannot promise anything, there are always possible complications. But if I venture a prognosis, it looks quite promising, and your husband will make a full recovery." The emergency doctor said with a soft smile. "Now excuse me please, I will organize your transportation to the hospital." The white Cougar nodded to Sven and Evelin, then left the ambulance again.

Sven had sat down on the bench beside Evelin again, stroking her back softly. "And you are really okay, whiskers?" he sounded a bit worried, looking at her wrists.

"I'm okay, hon, it's not as bad as it looks like, just a bit sore and a headache. A snatch of sleep in a warm and cozy bed and I'm okay again, I promise." Evelin gave her husband a soft kiss on his cheek and smiled tiredly.

"What has happened to you both?" Judy tried to stop sobbing, helplessly staring at her unconscious fox.

Evelin sighed and traded looks with Sven – she noticed his sad and grief-stricken glance immediately. It was evident that he knew more than he had told Judy, but how much did he really know? At least Judy seemed to be clueless, and for the moment this was probably the best thing.

"Hey, Ju Ju…" Evelin said quietly while she put her paw around one of her little kits. "Do you want to hold little Kathryn for a while? She was the first little one your hero in red fur helped to deliver…"

Judy wiped her tears away with the back of her paw and looked down to the baby rabbit. She carefully put both her arms around her, holding the little bunny warm and tight. The kit had, of course, no fur, yet, but her skin was already rather dark. Judy could feel how the little heart was beating within her paws and she instinctively started to smile.

"Hello, Kathryn" she whispered to the little bunny that was already cuddling with Judy's warm and soft fur. She gave him a gentle kiss: "Welcome into our world, sweetie."

* * *

It was half-past six when the ambulance finally arrived at the hospital, and Nick was immediately carried away for some further examinations. Judy followed them, keeping her eyes glued to her fox, while Sven and Evelin were conducted into a hospital room.

"You can just lay down on the bed, Misses Brooks. The doctor on duty will be here in a few moments" the nurse said with a smile. Another nurse was wheeling in a baby crib, covered with a lot of small pillows and blankets. Sven was holding two of his kits in his paw, crawling their tiny heads with a dreamy smile, while Evelin licked the tummies of the other two kits.

"Is it okay to just hold them a little longer?" he asked with a rather thin voice.

"Yes, of course. If you need anything, just press the call button" the nurse smiled and left the room, closing the door behind.

Sven and Evelin were just sitting side by side for a while, leaning their heads together and watching their first litter sleeping in peace. It was the male rabbit who suspended the silence first:

"I am sorry, Evelin."

"For what, darling?" she smiled softly. "There is nothing I'm holding against you."

"I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most" he quietly said, having tears in his eyes. "I was afraid to never see you again, and the fact that I let you down was the only thing I could think of."

"You didn't let me down, hun" Evelin sighed and gave him an endearing kiss. "There was absolutely nothing you could do to prevent all of this. And most importantly, we are finally back together, and our kits are all healthy".

"And they are as beautiful as their mother" Sven smiled, replying with a kiss when someone knocked on the door, and a hare in a white coat entered their room, accompanied by a sheep.

"Good morning!" he greeted them somewhat tired but with a friendly smile. "My name is Doctor Haywood, how are you Mrs. Hopps-Brooks?" Evelin and Sven greeted him with a handshake, and while the nurse was preparing some tincture and bandages, the hare examined the doe's ankles and wrists carefully.

* * *

Judy could barely keep her eyes open, sitting on the edge of the hospital bed and holding Nick's paw for the last hour. She had a headache, and her chest was hurting again, but still, she wasn't willing to let Nick alone for even a single minute.

"He will be asleep for the rest of the day, maybe you should go home and take some rest, too," the nurse said to Judy while checking Nick's vital signs. When the bunny didn't react, the nurse sighed and left the room. After a few minutes, she returned and put her paw on Judy's shoulder. "Here… this will be more comfortable" the young lioness smiled friendly when the overtired rabbit slowly turned her head and gave her a pillow. "Formally you aren't allowed to sleep here, but practically…" she shrugged.

"Thank you," Judy said quietly with a grateful smile and took the pillow. When the nurse switched off the light and left the room again, the gray rabbit put her pillow beside Nick's and slowly crawled under his blanket. With her legs and arms carefully embracing his body, she buried her nose in his fur, and after less than a minute she was already deeply asleep.

Nobody noticed how the door handle was carefully pulled or when the door was opened just a small gap. Seeing both, the fox and the rabbit, being asleep, some mammal entered the room quietly, closing the door behind him again. His eyes were coal black, and his face mirrored the restrained hate. In his right paw, he had a scalpel. No more mind games, he would only cut both their throats while they were asleep. Playing games was beside talking too much one of the biggest weaknesses of most villains. Even his boss wanted to demonstrate how clever he was: Fooling around with the IT guys of the ZPD, physical torture for the Fox and mental one for the rabbit before eventually killing them, all while their friends and colleagues had to helplessly watch. He had no exact idea why his boss had planned all of this. But the room-intruder had some personal reasons to eliminate those cops – more than once he was humbled by them and they even thwarted his own plans several times. But this would end today. Just three more steps… two… one…

The room was abruptly lightened when the door was opened by a tigress, wearing some uniform of the Special Forces that already raided the warehouse a few hours ago. Within a fraction of a second, the first mammal let the scalpel vanish inside his shirt sleeve, silently cursing.

The tigress had not expected to discover some visitor in this hospital room, doing just her regular rounds like ordered by Fangmeyer. When she noticed the other mammal in the room, bending over the hospital bed, she reached for her weapon and said in a commanding voice: "Who are you, what are you doing in here? In this part of the hospital are no visitors allowed! I need your ID card and have to report you to…" – The other mammal was slowly turning around, smiling softly. The lioness immediately stands at attention, securing her gun. "Sir! I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you! We secured the in-patient department on this floor and were instructed that nobody is allowed to visit the victims without explicit permission of the Chief or Detective Fangmeyer. I assume you already talked to them?"

"Sorry, it was a hard night. No, I didn't talk to the Chief yet, I just wanted to make sure that Hopps and Wilde are both safe and sound" the other mammal said with a calm and quiet voice.

"Of course, sir! We can just go to the shift supervisor, he will make sure you are probably registered as a visitor and get your permission from Chief Bogo. We have to comply with formalities, Sir, but of course, you are already aware of this". The tigress suggested a small smile and hold the door open for the other mammal.

"That's all right, but as those two are still asleep, I will postpone my visit and getting that clearance from the Chief in the meantime. As you were!" he nodded slowly and walked down the corridor, acutely aware that the tigress was still watching him alerted after closing the door to the hospital room again. "Damn it" he muttered after leaving the hospital through the main entrance, throwing the scalpel into the next trash bin.

* * *

"It won't get easier, you know that, right?" Sven smiled somewhat amused and put his smartphone down again. The last sunbeams of Twilight were twinkling through the window of their hospital room. The young rabbit family had slept the whole day – as the father of the newborn kits he got his own bed in their single hospital room, but as both beds were big enough for mammals like bears or tigers he slept together with his wife in the same one.

After the nurse had brought them some sandwiches and hot tea for supper, he wanted to recall Evelin's siblings who tried to call them several times during the day while they were still asleep. Judy and Sven had decided to inform nobody in Bunnyburrow without having more information. But it seemed that Clara and Ralph had nonetheless quickly noticed that her little sister and her husband didn't arrive in Bunnyburrow as planned. At least there was no unanswered call from Evelin's parents – or even worse, his own relatives – yet.

"I know, hun. But the moment we tell them that I already gave birth to four cute and healthy bunnies, they want to visit us immediately with all our siblings. And that's the moment we would have to explain that we are not in the Bunnyburrow-Hospital, but still in Zootopia. At the latest when they arrive here they will notice my injuries, and after all, what happened to Judy a few weeks ago, they would totally go nuts now, prohibiting everyone to ever revisit the city…" Evelin eventually sighed, rolled her eyes and shrugged.

Sven snickered, sat down on the edge of her bed and gave her a soft kiss while putting his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure it would not get as worse as you are suggesting. You are alive and healthy, and our kits are all saved and healthy, too. That's the main thing, whiskers. But when we are not calling your siblings back shortly, they will get really nervous and eventually inform our parents before we get a chance to intervene" he winked.

"At least let us talk with Juju first. They surely tried to call her, too, and we should synchronize what we are going to tell them" Evelin smiled, returning his kiss. Then she hesitated for a moment and looked worried again. "That brings us to the question, what we are going to tell Judy. She seems to have no idea, but I could read off your reaction while we were in the ambulance, that you are anything but clueless. How much do you already know?" her voice was rather quiet now, having a slightly scared look in her eyes.

The black rabbit sighed and dropped his gaze, watching their four little baby bunnies sleeping peacefully in their crib. "I don't know a lot, whiskers. But I heard… things… from a video through a wall. And eventually, Bogo told me somewhat more in confidence so I would agree that he asks Judy … for help". He tried to answer as vaguely and cagey as possible, feeling uneasy to be reminded of these events.

"What did you hear from this video?" Evelin asked with a calm but still worried voice, caressing softly over his cheek with her paw. When he hesitated to answer, she sighed. "We need to talk about it, darling. Just don't forget, that whatever you overheard, there was a happy end and I'm here with you again". She hugged him tenderly, fondling with his drooping ears.

When Sven finally started to talk, his mouth was dry and his voice a bit shaky. "At first I could only hear someone whistling some kind of melody. But after a few seconds, there were some stifled screams of pain… and… some…" he paused, closing his eyes and holding Evelin's paw even tighter. "There was also some muffled … desperate crying… from someone with an apparently higher pitched voice…" – Sven had some tears in his eyes, his wife holding him tight with a sad look on her face. "I didn't know what happened, but could only imagine the worst. And when the Chief later told me, that Nick had tried to overpower their kidnapper, but eventually failed … I was sure that I had lost you and that you were dying in that very moment alone and being in mortal fear".

"Good God! Sven… I don't know what to say…" she sobbed quietly, kissing and hugging her sniveling husband affectionately. "I wish you hadn't witnessed anything of that."

After sitting on the bed and consoling each other for several minutes, Evelin finally asked him with a quiet voice: "And how much of this does Judy know?"

"I didn't tell her what I overheard from that video. And after the Chief said about Nick's failed attempt to overpower your kidnapper, we decided to not tell her either. Not without knowing what happened exactly".

"You actually left her in the dark about the possibility that… that we… what… happened?" Evelin was glaring at him in disbelief. "Sweet cheese and crackers! That explains her mortally scared facial expression when she saw Nick in that ambulance. How dare you? She is a police officer, not some dumb country-bunny! She …"

"Whiskers, please… it was no easy decision, really! But Ju was in an exceptional state that evening. She passed out several times, we had to call her family doctor. Actually, she concealed the fact that she had quite some pain in her lower abdomen for nearly two days. She was also enfeebled the whole day and the message of you being kidnapped made her finally collapse. And when Nick vanished without telling anybody what he was up to, she was just a nervous wreck, and her doctor told me in confidence that she has to settle down by all means to prevent a sudden termination of her pregnancy. I really couldn't tell her anything – for her own good! Even if it was difficult and I felt more than uneasy with it".

During Sven's narrative, Evelin gasped a few times, holding her paws in front of her mouth. When he finished, she just shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry that I blamed you, I didn't know the half of it!"

Sven smiled softly, caressing her cheeks. "Don't mention it, whiskers." But he quickly got serious again, eventually asking quietly: "Do you want to tell me what happened in that basement?"

Evelin's face grows dark, her eyes staring blankly on her paws and the bandaged wrists.

"Sorry, just forget my question…" Sven said quickly, putting his arms around his shivering wife and holding her tight.

But the gray bunny slowly shook her head. "It's hard to talk about it, and I don't want to frighten and falsely alarm you retrospectively."

"Just be assured that I'll be there for you, whenever you are ready to talk about it."

"Thanks, hun."

They cuddled for awhile, but finally, Evelin started to climb out of her bed, wearing a hospital gown instead of her ruined dress. Sven watched her while she walked to the washbasin, dousing first her paws and then her face and ears with some cold water. When she turned around, Sven was still watching her with a slight grin.

"What?" Eve asked curiously.

"Those hospital gowns are open on the backside…" he winked.

Evelin poked her tongue at him and replied his grin. "Something you'd better understand: Juju will ask me a lot of questions about last night. And you know that she is a living lie detector! Even if Nick hasn't told her anything yet, I don't think that I will be able to fool her. And to be honest, I don't want to lie to her. She is my best friend, and there was never ever any secret between us".

Sven nodded slowly, "I know, whiskers."

She sat down on his lap and smiled softly. "I would suggest, we are going to search Nick's room. For one I really want to know how he's doing – at least I owe him my life and that of our kits" she smiled with a side glance to the crib. On the other hand, I bet that we will find Juju, too, if we find Nick" she winked knowingly.

"And our phone call to your siblings?"

"Well, send them a message that everything is okay and that we are currently busy, but will call them later. That should silence them for a while without crying havoc to our parents" she smiled. "After talking with Judy, we discuss how much we should tell everybody."

Sven nodded and tied up some laces at the back of Evelin's gown with a light smile. He was somewhat afraid to face Nick or Judy. The black rabbit secretly reproached his sister-in-law that his lovely wife was confused with her while staying alone in the apartment due to Nick and Judy enjoying a dumb baseball game. And he blamed himself for Nick's condition because the fox saved Evelin when he couldn't do it himself. Sven felt really sheep for his thoughts, knowing they were nonsense. As he didn't want to bother his brave bunny with them, he just stood up from the edge of the bed, typing a quick message with his phone and walked over to his stout bunny who was carefully taking their kits on her arm.

* * *

Nick was stroking Judy's head and ears now for a while with his good paw. His little rabbit was cuddling with his tail, burying her own muzzle into his warm and soft fur. They were both awake for quite a while, but neither of them had said a word until now, just enjoying the darkness and silence around them. They could only sense each other, and no words could have better expressed the bonding both were feeling thereby.

The silence was cut off when someone knocked gently at their door. Nick didn't react, but Judy's ears twitched instinctively. After maybe ten seconds it tapped again, this time a bit steadier. The Fox sighed quietly, giving Judy a soft kiss between her ears and closed his eyes, knowing that their silence would be finally interrupted every second now. When the door was finally opened, she blinked a few times due to the bright light from the corridor that directly beamed onto their bed.

"Told you she is awake, hun" Evelin smiled and nudged her husband into his side, entering the room slowly. "Hey, Juju…" she smiled even wider, quickly walking towards the only bed.

Judy slowly sat up on the bed, opened her arms wide and when Evelin was finally near enough she hugged her as tight as she could. "Eve…" she sobbed quietly, and her little sister patted cradling her back. "I'm so sorry…"

"Psshh… It's okay, Judy. You don't have to be sorry for anything; it wasn't your fault, sis" Evelin whispered soothingly into her ear. Sven had already told her, that her older sister was blaming herself for Evelin being kidnapped in the first place – as Judy was apparently the planned victim. But that was of course nonsense, at least in Evelin's eyes.

While Judy was still sobbing and firmly holding her sister, Nick slowly turned around and elevated the head of his bed with a remote control until he was sitting upright. He also switched on some dim ceiling lighting with the same remote control as he knew, that the rabbits could barely see anything in the nearly dark room. When Evelin looked in his direction, she gasped startled, and even Sven winced a bit at his sight. The once red-brownish fur of the fox was now shot through with countless dark spots. His left eye was completely shut, and the fur around it suffused with blood. The fingers on his right paw were splinted, and there was a full bandage around his chest.

"Frozen harvest!" Evelin whispered in consternation.

"Well, gladly I was just a bit chilly, not literally frozen" Nick tried his usual sly smile, but it looked more horrifying than relaxing.

"I dread to ask how you are, Nick. You must have horrible pains!" Sven said quietly.

"Nah! They gave me some morphine, it's just like a light headache" he wryly smiled but was apparently downplaying it. "Hope you are feeling better, too?" Nick looked to Eve who was slowly breaking loose from Judy's hug. "At least you're looking marvelous again, Evelin."

"Oh, shut your trap, you dumb fox…" Judy's little sister blubbered out and hugged the fox carefully. Nick returned her hugging, trying to soothe the sobbing doe in his arms. His eyes met Judy's who smiled sadly. She hadn't shed a single tear the whole time while they were cuddling, but now her beautiful purple eyes were glazing over, and she was on the verge of starting to cry, too. Nick wasn't sure if he would be able to bear this now…

"How are your little kits, are they okay?" the Fox said decidedly easygoing, trying to deflect everyone's attention to something more enjoyable. It actually worked, and Judy started to smile in Sven's direction, who were carrying the four baby bunnies in his arms. When the black rabbit made a few steps in their direction, Evelin broke loose from Nick, wiping away some tears with the back of her paw and also started to smile. The two male baby rabbits were all black with just a few light gray spots on their ears and muzzle. One of the female baby rabbits was black with gray spots all over her body, and the other one was mostly light gray with two black spots on her ears. They were sleeping peacefully, and all of them were tiny enough so they would easily fit together on a single paw of the Fox.

"They are really adorable, I'm so happy for you two!" Judy smiled moony, carefully petting the little kits with her finger.

Evelin reached out and carefully cupped one of the black bunnies. She turned to Nick and with a smile, she put the little kit down on an unwounded spot of Nick's upper-body. "May I introduce… Foxy-Nicky, this is Bunny-Nicky… Bunny-Nicky, this is your godfather and life saver Foxy-Nicky".

Nick was taken aback with three rabbits smiling brightly at him. When he recovered himself again, he looked questioning to Evelin, suggesting a small gesture with his paw: "May I…?" – When the young mother nodded with a light giggle, he was carefully reaching out with a single finger of his good paw. The little baby bunny had snuggled up into his warm fur and was still asleep. When Nick finally touched it, his paw was shaking slightly, but Bunny-Nicky was still sleeping peacefully and eventually, the Fox had the courage to stroke tenderly over the tiny body. In the meanwhile, Evelin had reached out for the second black baby rabbit and put it now also onto Nick's chest beside his brother.

"And this is Pips…" she smiled brightly, then leaned forward and whispered to the little kit: "This is your godfather and life saver Piberius, little Pips…"

Nick started to snicker quietly, and it was the first time it didn't sound forced at all. "Oh, come on. Have some mercy on this little sweetie pie. He deserves some better name than this. Piberius is already bad enough, but Pips?"

They all were dissolving into giggles, and Nick stroked carefully also the second bunny's head with his finger. Pips started to yawn – looking absolutely adorable in doing so – and eventually nibbled on Nick's fur while falling asleep again.

"Awww…!" Evelin panted in a rapture, putting her paws in front of her mouth.

Nick continued to carefully stroke the two little bunnies, and when he looked up, he saw Judy again with tears in her eyes. But this time she was really touched, smiling happily. And when Sven handed her the two little baby girls, her beaming face let everyone forget last night's events for a short while.

* * *

It was nearly 21 o'clock and all seven rabbits – plus Nick – were in a small guest lounge at the end of the corridor. Judy, Evelin, and Sven were sitting on a beige-colored couch, surrounded by some dieffenbachia, balsamina, and philodendron. Judy was sitting near the window, facing Nick and holding the four little kits on her arm, dangling them softly. Evelin was sitting beside her, legs crossed on the seat and leaning against Sven's shoulder while he was cuddling her. Nick sat – against his protests – in a wheelchair, wearing now the same hospital gown like Evelin. Despite having slept the whole day, everyone felt still somewhat exhausted but also enjoyed sitting together for now. They were actually hardly speaking for the whole time, just looking surreptitiously at each other now and then. Eventually, it was Sven's ringing smartphone that made everyone cringe at once. Evelin managed to sneak a peek on the display before her husband could reject the call with an "I'm currently busy but will call you back soon!" auto-responder message. It was Valentina, one of Evelin's litter sisters who tried to call them this time. With an anxious glance, she looked to Sven. None of them wanted to bring up the obvious subject – but if they wouldn't recall their siblings rather soon, it could get even worse. There was no other choice…

"We… have still to discuss this whole… situation" Sven said slowly and breathed deeply.

"Mom?" Judy asked quietly, but Evelin shook her head.

"No. Not yet. But Ralph and Clara called already a few times. And now also Valentina".

"And that's just our phone. I guess you left yours deliberately at home?" Sven asked.

Judy slowly shook her head with a sigh and tapped on her pants pocket. "It's turned off, though."

"Well, Mom will already flip it when she gets to know that she missed the birth of Kathryn, Nicky, Annie and Pips" Evelin smiled blandly. "I would even consider keeping the attendant circumstances in private. But even when I manage to hide my ankles, I'm unsure how to conceal my injured wrists, too. And those will raise questions for sure".

"Maybe some excessive bondage games?" Nick muttered with a lukewarm smile.

Sven glared at him but Evelin smiled meekly, knowing he just wanted to lighten the mood with his usual ease – and it actually implicated a shred of truth. The only one showing absolutely no reaction to Nick's saying was Judy. She was sitting detached in her corner of the couch, still dandling the little kits, raising both Evelin's and Nick's suspicion. When the bunny cop realized, that their worried looks were lingering on her, she slowly lifted her head, talking back to them.

"What?! I seem to be the only one not knowing what was going on, so just continue to ignore me!"

Judy's sad and angry look gave Evelin a chill and Nick gave a wince of pain at her harsh tone as if she had stabbed him with a knife right into his chest. The older sister had immediate regrets about her outburst when she noticed their reactions, started to sob and turned around handing the baby bunnies with shaking paws back to Evelin.

"I'm sorry..." Judy leaped from the couch and began to cry, running stumbling out of the lounge. Nick wanted to spring to his feet, but he actually was too weak and just managed to catch himself before falling to the ground. By the same token, Evelin wanted to get up from the couch, but Sven holds her back with his paw on her arm.

"I'll take a look at her, whiskers…" he smiled reassuringly at her. "You two need a one-on-one anyway" The black rabbit gave his wife a soft kiss, got off the couch and followed Judy with quick steps.

* * *

Sven stood somewhat uneasy in front of a closed door. He could distinctly hear how Judy was weeping bitterly on the other side of it but still hesitated. Why of all rooms did she choose the ladies' cloakroom? Putting his paw onto the doorknob, he breathed deeply and finally opened the door.

The crying doe was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. With a quick and nervous look, the male rabbit made sure that there were no other mammals in here, then walked over to his sister-in-law and kneeled beside her. When he finally put his arms around her, she leaned still crying on his shoulder. Sven tried to comfort her, carefully stroking her back and rocking slowly back and forth.

It took quite a while before Judy simmered down again, eventually only sniveling quietly. "I'm so sorry, Sven" she babbled dimly.

"Shhh…. there is no need to, you didn't do anything wrong," he said quietly, but Judy nearly started to cry again.

"I detected your reproachful looks, and you are so right!" she stammered after a while.

Sven sighed with a feeling of guilt – "Ju…"

"No, you don't have to deny it! I'm so humiliated and just have to own up to it. If it hadn't been for me, Evelin would have never been kidnapped!"

"Judy…" Sven tried to interrupt her flow, but the doe just shook her head desperately.

"I was nearly responsible for the death of your kits!"

"Judy…!" he was now speaking firmly, holding her at her shoulders.

"You nearly lost your wife, just because she was randomly in my apartment!"

"Judith!" Sven was now almost shouting, trying to get through to her.

But Judy went into hysterics instead, yelling desperately. "Evelin didn't deserve this! Neither of you does! Nick is going to hate me for this as well as you and Evelin are! I will lose everyone I love, being all alone, I cannot endure anymo…"

Judy's last yelled words were reverberating with the tiled walls. Sven's face was ashen pale under his black fur and his paw trembling heavily. He only slapped her face very lightly, just enough to bring her back into reality – but her thunderstruck look and the sudden silence now was sending cold shivers up and down his spine.

"S-sorry… I just… I didn't mean to…" he stammered terrified.

"Thank you" Judy whispered calmly and wiped some tears away with the back of her shaking paw.

"Are you… okay?" Sven asked still somewhat scared and worried.

"Not in the slightest," she said with a crooked smile. "But I'm feeling better now." She slowly got up from the floor, accepting Sven's paw when he offered to help her.

"Judy…" he gently put his paw on her cheek, making her flinch involuntarily. When he realized his faux pas, he pulled his arm back with a start. "Sorry!"

"It's okay, never mind" she put her arms around Sven's neck and hugged him reassuring.

Sven sighed and patted her back. "Nothing that happened is your fault, Ju. And none of us could have prevented it. They are all alive, and we are back together, that's the most important thing right now." Then he looked around somewhat nervously. "Do you… uh… think… we could get maybe… eh… leave the ladies' room?"

Judy nodded exhausted with a soft smile, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and turned around to the wash basins to splatter her face with some cold water. After drying her fur again with a paper towel, she linked arms with Sven. "Let's go back to Eve and Nick…"

* * *

When the two rabbits arrived back in the visitor's lounge, Nick was sitting on the couch with Evelin leaning against his shoulder, the four little kits still sleeping in her lap. Also attending was Chief Bogo, Detective Fangmeyer, and a big black bear wearing a suit instead of a uniform Judy didn't recognize.

"Good evening, Chief. Fang." Judy greeted them and walked up to the black bear. "Hello, my name is Officer Judy Wilde." She didn't even hesitate when using Nick's last name, getting straight that she and her fox would hang together no matter what.

Sven sat down on the other side of the couch, and his wife changed her position to make some room for her sister and also cuddle with her worried looking husband. The black bear handed Judy his big paw. "Blackide, Internal Affairs Department." His voice was little more than a hoarse whispering, trying to give it some sinister undertone.

However, the little rabbit's nose didn't even twitch while returning his looks and shaking his paw. After sitting down between Nick and Evelin, she put her paw on top of her husbands, their fingers interlacing.

"We were recording the witness reports for the past events," Fangmeyer explained in a calm voice. "Blackide is present, as one of his cases is also affected."

"And to judge Officer Nicholas Wilde's unauthorized actions in this case," the bear added speaking low.

"Excuse me?" Judy's ears shoot up, but Nick gently pressed her paw as a signal to bite back any comment.

"Routine process, Hopps" Bogo muttered. "Can we continue now?"

Nick and Evelin shared a quick look. While Sven ran after Judy to comfort her, the two had discussed how much they wanted to reveal of the past events to their partners. Nick wasn't eager to burden Judy with a detailed description of what they had to suffer, but Evelin also didn't want to lie neither to her nor to Sven. It was during that discussion that Bogo, Fangmeyer, and Blackide appeared. Until Sven and Judy came back, Evelin had reported how she was surprised and stunned in the apartment, only to wake up in the basement. So, continuing the witness report now would also imply, that Judy and Sven would get to know a very detailed narration of the following events. On the pro-side, they would only have to tell it once and not over and over again.

Now it was Judy's time to press Nick's paw reassuring; and also Sven was holding his wife somewhat tighter in his arm. Evelin gave him a soft kiss, then nodded to Nick with a small smile. She knew it would be hard for her to go through everything again now, but the mammals that were most significant to her were here with her. And it would be way worse for Nick, all the more because Judy was still more or less clueless. Nick sighed and took a deep breath, returned Judy's soft pressing of his paw and turned back to his three colleagues. Bogo nodded and pressed the record button on the Dictaphone.

"As I already said," Nick started to narrate slowly and with a quiet voice, "we left the apartment the moment we noticed, that it is a crime scene. While I called our emergency dispatcher, Sven called our family doctor as Judy had fainted due to some medical conditions regarding her pregnancy that aren't relevant here."

Nick's description was detailed and businesslike, complemented by Evelin for those events he couldn't remember due to being unconscious. They had to suspend the recording two times, though, as Judy nearly broke down sobbing and needed to be calmed by Nick and Evelin again. Fangmeyer used those interruptions to get them all something to drink. Blackide listened the whole time keeping a straight face, making some notes from time to time. Bogo didn't say anything, but he watched his only fox officer with some sympathies.

Several hours later, the Chief put the dictaphone back into his pocket. While Blackide was still making some notes on a notepad, the Buffalo asked him to have a short one-to-one outside the room, and both mammals left the lounge. Nick was holding his trembling and quietly sobbing rabbit in his arms, giving her a soft kiss between the ears.

"It's okay, carrots. I'm here with you now and will not leave you ever again. No need to be afraid anymore, my sweet little cottontail." He whispered into her ear while crawling with his paw over her cheek. Judy snuggled with her nose into his fur, leaning her ears on top of his chest. His rather calm and regular heartbeat was soothing to her.

"I was obligated by every single colleague of precinct one to assure you of any help or anything else you could need. Just give Clawhauser or me a call, and we will be there for you." Fangmeyer said with a little smile. "And needless to say, the same applies to you, Mr. and Mrs. Hopps-Brooks." The tiger said, now speaking to the other two rabbits. Sven nodded and continued to crawl his wife, holding her tight in his arms.

"Could you already figure out who is behind all that?" Judy's voice sounded weary. "Who is interrogating this Ram and Ferret? If you need any help with it, I…"

"No way, Judy," Nick interrupted her at once. "I won't allow you to go even near those … those…" he couldn't find a fitting word before Fangmeyer interrupted him.

"No need to worry about that," the tiger said with suppressed anger, his muzzle was twitching lightly. He turned his head to the entrance, but Bogo and Blackide were still talking together on the outside. "This information is confidential, so don't ask any further questions about it. But Ferris was killed by a sniper while we were conveying him to federal prison. Two of my squad members are severely wounded but will probably survive."

"You must be joking!" Judy gasped, her muzzle twitching furiously. "But aren't the routes of those transports confidential?"

Fangmeyer nodded, then sighed while rubbing his nose bridge. "Also, Ramstad was killed with some sort of contact poison while being on his way into custody."

"But…" Judy was bewildered. "But how!?"

"I guess, that explains the presence of Blackide. Only another ZPD officer would have access to the transportation route or get access to a prisoner." Nick said with his head bowed. "Presumably someone high-ranking."

Fangmeyer didn't respond but nodded as confirmation. "My team has secured this whole hospital wing right now, only audited personnel is currently allowed here and visitors only with authorization by Chief Bogo or me. We are also arranging witness protection for all of you after your discharge. Internal Affairs are currently auditing colleagues from another precinct for it."

"Wait, what does that mean?" Sven spoke up for the first time since he and Judy returned.

"That means," Chief Bogo said with some drained facial expression while entering the room again, now without the black bear, "that we will lodge you all at a classified location, guarded 24-7 until we know for sure what is going on here and can be certain you are out of danger."

"But I have to work!" Sven protested.

"That's impossible, both our families want to see our little kits and …" Evelin chimed in.

"As long as Nick has to stay in the hospital I'm going nowhere! Also, I don't need any overseer, I'm perfectly capable of …" Judy exclaimed at the same time – Nick was the only one who didn't really react to that news, appearing abstractedly.

"Cut it out!" Bogo snapped at them after everyone started to talk at the same time. He had not slept for two nights, and after losing two suspects and having to deal with internal affairs, he wasn't capable of any more arguments for now. "Someone is after you and your family, Hopps, and apparently, they do stop for nothing! I will try to arrange a visit with your close family in a few days, but no further contact during your witness protection! And Wilde is perfectly safe here, some officers will guard his room 24/7! We try to resolve that case as fast as possible, but …"

"And instead of us, they could just come after one of our few hundred siblings!" Evelin cut him off, causing Bogo nearly to fume.

"She is right, Chief." Judy chimed in. "You cannot protect our whole family, and they would be all in danger, just to decoy us out of coverage. As Evelin's kidnapping just proved! And you are damn right with Nick being guarded because _I_ will protect my husband and partner as long as he has to stay here!

"Hopps, you cannot…" Bogo started impatiently but was interrupted, this time by Sven.

"I would never risk that someone harms our families instead of us!"

"Neither of us would!" Evelin added.

Bogo was on the verge of fulminating when Fangmeyer intervened and lifted his paws. "We should stop arguing about that now. We are all exhausted and need some sleep. Chief Bogo and I will discuss our options tomorrow. We understand that this whole situation is causing some vexations, but you should all be happy to have survived the attempted assassination – for now!"

"I also talked with Blackide, there will be no further investigation against Officer Wilde regarding his actions in this case." Bogo was a lot calmer now, being exhausted and he finally wanted to get out of this uniform he was wearing now for days to take a hot shower. "He also told me, that he ordered two foreign officers from other precincts who will not leave your side from now on: Officer Grizzmund from precinct 5 and maybe you remember Officer Fanghanel from precinct 9."

Judy sighed with a slight smile, "Eliot Fanghanel is nobody who is quickly forgotten, but we are also friends with him and his wife since our last common case with those kidnapped mammals. But I don't think we have met Officer Grizzmund, yet. Or do you know him, Ni…" Judy turned to Nick, but shrieked out of a sudden, giving a jerk to all others as her fox had distorted eyes, his mouth slightly opened and leaned unconsciously on the couch.

* * *

It was the next morning when Nick woke up and slowly opened his eyes again, laying in his hospital bed. For a moment he thought that he had double vision, as he was looking into four gorgeous purple eyes and two soft smiling muzzles were looking at him.

"Hey, carrots…" he whispered and blinked a few times, his vision getting better. One of the two faces leaned forward and gave him a kiss and Nick purred involuntary, closing his eyes.

Evelin giggled silently, "I didn't know that a fox can purr like a feline!" Even Sven was chuckling in the background. When Nick opened his eyes again, it was only Judy he could see and smell, and he took a deep breath.

"Hey, my snuggly bunny…" he whispered in her ear, which made her smile.

"You really scared us earlier." Judy stroked his cheek carefully. "The doctor said it was just a syncopal attack due to exhaustion. And that you should stay in that bed for this week!"

Nick sighed but also noticed now something laying on his chest. When he lifted his head, he saw four little bunnies snuggling into his fur and sleeping peacefully. "I hope those are still Evelin's and I wasn't unconscious that long!" he winked, and Judy laughed lightly.

"Don't worry," she took his healthy paw and put it on her own belly. "The doctor said, you have to wait six or seven weeks more for ours to be actually born. Even if I fear, I will just go bust until then." She sighed with a wink. "I already look as fat as aunt Audrey and not even half the time has passed."

"You look fantastic, Judy," Nick said with a dreamy smile that made his wife all emotional. "And it was the memories of you that made me persevere all that suffering. I knew that you were safe, and as long as I could face it, Evelin would be safe, too, giving you enough time to find us. I'm sorry that you had to endure the suspense. But I had to do it."

"I know, my dumb fox. But remember, that you are not alone anymore and that you have a loving family that needs you, too." She softly kissed his paw and wiped some tears away. "We are a second to none team, but only together. Don't forget that, okay?"

Nick nodded slowly and smiled. "I promise, Carrots." Another rabbit was sniveling silently, and a short moment later Evelin was hugging him from the other side of the bed, scrubbing with her nose over his cheek.

"Whatever they would have done to me couldn't have been worse than witnessing what they did to you. I don't know how I should ever pay that debt."

"Oh, come on, stop it, Evelin." Nick turned his head around, making Evelin bopping against his snout accidentally which makes her giggle again – and the red fox blushing somewhat. She gave him a quick kiss on his nose and winked.

"You earned that, my hero in red fur." She yawned with a smile. "And also many many thanks from Mom, Dad, and probably a few hundred other siblings. They don't know how to thank you, and everyone hopes you are getting well again quickly."

"So, I guess you had talked to them by now," Nick said with a slightly worried look. "How much do they know?"

"Only the PG-13 version of it. That I got kidnapped and that you were injured during your attempt of rescuing me. And of course, that I owe you my life and that of our little kits." She smiled thankfully with a warm smile.

"There was no need to mention that," Nick said somewhat awkward. "I did just what everyone else would have done in that situation, that was nothing special."

"Since when are you that humble?" Judy said, and all rabbits snickered.

"It was really remarkable what you did, Nick," Evelin said eventually. "And I want everyone to know that because I never was as proud of being able to call someone my brother as I am with you." She smiled, trying to get not as emotional as Judy normally got. Sven put his arms around her from behind and hold her tight.

"You two should have some rest," Judy said smiling to Sven and her little sister. "We will have an eye for your little ones in the meanwhile. Not that there is much to worry about as they are sleeping the whole time." The gray doe winked.

Evelin turned her head to Sven who nodded smiling. "I think a few hours of sleep will do us good. We will come over for lunch again, though." He took his wife's paw and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek.

After Judy's sister and her husband left the room, Nick turned to his wife again. The rabbit was holding his paw, nuzzling it slowly. He could still see how much his witness report of the events had upset and wrecked her, but now trying to be that tough ZPD rabbit again – with modest success.

"So," he said after a while, determined to distract the gray doe somewhat. "As it seems, we are already babysitting our godchildren. Do you think that ours will be as good and sleepy, too? Being parents will be a cakewalk in that case!" he winked at Judy and made her snicker.

"Oh, they are only that sleepy for the first one to two weeks, my dear. But after that, they are full of go. Be glad that we only have two for now, any more and I would fear for your sanity."

Nick raised his eyebrows, "For now? Someone has big plans, huh?"

"Don't worry, more than maybe a dozen would be too much for our apartment, we have to look for something bigger first."

"Eh…" Nick gulped, and Judy grinned at him roguishly. He then grabbed with his paw her head and draw her near to his face, giving her a kiss. "For you, I would even handle a whole burrow with a few hundred rabbits, as long as it is that what you really want."

"I already have everything I really want, dumb fox. And those two…" she nodded to her belly, "will just make things perfect."

* * *

 **A/N:**

Haemapure is a blood substitute that can be used on a broad range of species. While not as good as whole blood, it is a viable option when the compatible blood of the correct species isn't available. It is mentioned by eng050599 in his story "Lost causes and broken dreams" based on a real product – although currently not available on the market. He also helped me with the medical aspects in this chapter, so big thanks to him!

I also switched my editor with this chapter, as my previous one has not enough time anymore. You now have to thank JudithWildeHopps for hunting down all those nasty little grammar and spelling errors I left behind. Needless to say, I just wanted to test her and added those all on purpose…

The next chapter will hopefully not take as long as this one. But I will also post and update some other little stories in the meantime, with a lot more fluff and comedy as we saw here lately. So keep an eye on my accounts if you are interested in reading those, too.

The audio drama will also continue in a few weeks, starting with chapter 3x01. There will be some surprise regarding the voice acting, so keep an eye on Sean's YouTube-Channel. ;-)


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